Hello Everyone!!
This week in my American Politics seminar we are focusing on Interest Groups and Lobbyists. For those of you who don't know, an interest group is a collection of people who are organized to advocate for an issue or a set of issues. These interest groups can be small, like a community organization standing up for better schools, or large, like the national education association. These interest bring people together to affect public policy. Lobbyists, are individuals, often associated with interest groups, that advocate for issues. They are the people who meet with public officials and staff to discuss issues in hopes that legislation will favor their group or cause.
Yesterday, our class was fortunate enough to hear from a lobbyist who actually graduated from the Washington Semester in 2003. Lindsay Lee, a hill employee turned lobbyist, spoke to our class about her path to where she is now and about her job. Like other speakers, she reitterated the importance of network and taking any job that comes your way. Lindsay continued with a discussion about lobbyists, often thought of as a dirty word in DC. She talked about the importance of lobbying, giving a professiona voice to organizations and an organiziang board to get messages about. Like all fields, there are a few bad apples that ruin the bunch, and this has brought the lobbyist reputation down. Hearing Lindsay, however, deffinitely made me think a lot more about possibly becoming an education lobbyist. I really liked how down to earth she was and really genuinely cared about the message she was fighting for.
Life in DC has been crazy to say the least. From papers to office work to research to wassa work, my time has been consumed. Now, I am embarking on Spring Break. I will be attending my nephew's first birthday, visiting my school, and spending a lot of time with my family. Get excited!!
Stay honest and keep those around you honest!
- Josh
No comments:
Post a Comment