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Alumni and Friends: La Follette Notes: Spring 2005
Legislative Council selects student for internship
The Wisconsin Legislative Council has selected La Follette School student Melissa Schmidt to receive the Bonnie Reese internship this year.
Melissa Schmidt
Schmidt is in her third year of earning a dual degree in public affairs and law. She plans to graduate in May 2006.
“Much of what we do involves providing legal analysis to the Legislature and its committees. Melissa’s background in public policy and law makes her a valuable asset to the Legislative Council,” says Director Terry C. Anderson. “We are pleased to be able to support her.”
Schmidt’s career goal to become a prosecutor builds on her experiences with the district attorney’s offices in Rock and Jefferson counties. In the fall, she was a La Follette School project assistant with the Wisconsin Sentencing Commission. This semester she is researching Dane County’s criminal justice system and sentencing process for law professor Michael Smith.
For the Legislative Council, Schmidt is conducting legal research and analysis in response to legislator questions. This includes background for potential bills and amendments.
“The compensation for the internship was unexpected, and I am very appreciative of Terry and the Legislative Council for securing the funds,” Schmidt says.
Funded by Wisconsin Women in Government, the Reese internship rotates annually among the Legislative Council and the three other legislative service agencies, the Fiscal, Audit and Reference bureaus. Bonnie Reese was the first woman to lead a legislative service agency and was an early director of the Legislative Council.
Reese also helped organize Wisconsin Women in Government, a bipartisan organization that promotes women’s participation in public affairs. By offering women financial support, mentoring and educational opportunities to help them build successful careers in government- related fields, WWIG seeks to foster diversity in government and to encourage more women to seek elective and appointed office.
“I am pleased to have the opportunity to work in the agency that Bonnie Reese pioneered and to receive the internship named for her,” Schmidt says. “I am honored to be the one Wisconsin Women in Government entrusted with their funds, and I hope that I will make them proud.”
Index to La Follette Notes spring 2005