Truman Interns Help School Districts Claim Federal Funds

Through their Truman-sponsored internships at the Capitol in Jefferson City, students Santino Bono and Dylan Powers-Cody played a role in helping school districts across the state secure more than $1 million in federal funding.
 
Bono, who interned with Rep. Deb Lavender, and Powers-Cody, who interned with and Rep. Peter Merideth and Truman alumna Rep. Maggie Nurrenbern, spent a portion of the legislative session identifying school districts that had not yet claimed pandemic-era federal funds to assist homeless students. A comprehensive reporting of their work was recently published by the Missouri Independent, including the contributions of students from other institutions, as well as the direction of legislative assistant and Truman alumnus Dustin Bax.
 
This experience was made possible because Bono and Powers-Cody were among six Truman students who participated in the Missouri Government Internship Program during the spring semester. Open to all majors, this semester-long internship allows junior or senior students to participate in state government by serving as an intern with a legislator, public official or state agency. Interns earn up to 15 hours of college credit and receive a stipend from the University.
 
The Missouri Government Internship Program has special appeal for students anticipating careers in business, law, public relations, communication, government service or public affairs, and is filled with opportunities for a variety of career fields. Many former interns have gone on to serve as legislative directors, chiefs of staff, judicial clerks, policy analysts, lobbyists and public officials as a direct result of what they learned and the connections they made as interns.
 
Applications for the Missouri Government Internship Program open in the fall, with internships taking place in Jefferson City each spring. The application can be found on the Missouri Government Internship page of the Truman website. Informational meetings are conducted each fall. Students can also direct questions to mogovinternship@truman.edu.