Photo by Scott Thomas Stephanie Amick (in pink) with Missouri Senator Michael R. Gibbons.

Each spring, 16 Truman students spend the semester at Jefferson City, Missouri writing press releases for state legislators, researching topics to be argued in the legislature, sitting in on caucus meetings, and rubbing shoulders with state representatives.

The Missouri Government Internship Program, spearheaded by Professor Candy Young, gives Truman students the unique opportunity to experience firsthand the state government at work. Following are the top reasons why students should consider spending a semester away as an intern.

Indispensable Skills
During the course of the internships, students refine their writing and communication skills and become more skillful listeners and critical thinkers. At first, students are asked to observe the legislature at work. By analyzing legislators as they present bills, students learn what strategies are most effective in communicating a position and persuading others to agree.

After a healthy dose of observation, students take initiative in different offices, like writing letters to constituents or attending party caucuses. By the middle of the legislative session, most Truman students prove to be indispensable. From writing weekly press releases for legislators to debriefing legislators about what happened at the Democrat or Republican Party caucus to reporting on behalf of the legislator, interns are not only honing skills but are the cogs in the wheel of public policy.

Insider Scoop
The internship program showcases possible jobs students might like to pursue when they leave college. Often pre-law students enter the program with limited exposure to what lawyers do outside a typical legal practice. They learn that lawyers in the state legislature are staffers to public officials, work in the research offices, and are lobbyists.

The internship isn't just for students interested in law. Students from all disciplines—communications, chemistry, accounting, and fine arts—learn how their major relates to public policy. For instance, the communications major studies how the legislature communicates their message so that the press picks it up. And when assigned to write a press release, the student sees their major at work.

Whether it confirms a student's desire to work in the public sphere or redirects them to the private sector, the experience broadens their knowledge of possible job opportunities.

A Bright Future
According to Young, there is an unequivocal link between program participation and job acquisition. She states, "Because the experience makes students knowledgeable about the world and contemporary issues, it has a direct effect on their ability to interview well for jobs. And they come out of the program with a better sense of direction and more focused than most students."

Last year, five out of the sixteen students were offered jobs at the legislature and most others pursued graduate degrees in law and public policy. Truman graduate Stephanie Amick, continues her work in the legislature as an assistant to the chief of staff for the majority floor leader while she pursues a graduate degree in public administration.

According to Amick, "The internship confirmed that I really wanted to work in the public sector. After the session was over, the staff asked me if I wanted to stay on. I agreed, and now I do everything from sitting in on policy meetings and taking notes to filing.

"I wouldn't change my experience for the world. I've been able to sit in the Missouri Senate for the last two years, and it's given me a great perspective. When I go to law school I think I'll have a greater advantage than other students."

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A funny thing happened to Lara Runnels' ('91) childhood dream of becoming a Broadway stage sensation. It took a hard left at Kirksville and placed her in L.A. You see, Runnels is a co-executive producer of "Reba," a situation comedy starring country and western diva Reba McEntire.

"Oh, I had wanted to be an actress since I was a little girl, which probably explains why I sought a degree in theatre," says Runnels. But then she had an epiphany when she took a course in playwriting her junior year.

"The class spurred me to write a couple of one-act plays," Runnels recalls. She believes she was lucky to get those first tentative writing efforts produced on campus and that the writing bug bit her when she saw an audience actually laugh and respond to things that she had written.

Energized by her newfound aptitude, Runnels says she enrolled in a playwright MFS program at UCLA following her graduation in 1991.

Doubtless, some might see Runnels' transit from proverbial backwoods to Hollywood as an improbable journey, but she takes a measure of exception to this view. "Northeast Missouri State [as Truman was then known] offered me an opportunity to do things and take chances that I would never have received had I gone to a larger or more exclusive school," she points out. "I know of very few places where a student could get his or her work performed the way my early plays were."

"When people are surprised I got here from Northeast Missouri, I want to reply, 'I don't know how I could have gotten here without Northeast Missouri,'" Runnels states. "All you can ask of a school is that it gives you what you need to identify and develop your talent— the rest is up to each of us."

Cue the "applause" sign.

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"Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve."—Martin Luther King, Jr.

At Truman, students are encouraged to take Dr. King's words to heart. This year, over 150 Truman students will serve at a series of events, including the City-Wide Unity Festival, to honor his life and legacy and encourage a greater sense of campus-wide diversity.

"By participating, students are reminded unity through service isn't ancient history," says Bertha Thomas, assistant dean for multicultural affairs at Truman and Martin Luther King commissioner for the State of Missouri. "Our hope is students will learn and experience the power of one—one person, working and serving, can make a difference."

The City-Wide Unity Festival, which occurs Monday, January 16, is a gesture to affirm Martin Luther King's call for unity. Open to the Kirksville community and Truman State University population, the festival will feature the following:

Unity through Art

• Exhibition of Kirksville children's artwork and reading stations staffed by Truman students.


• Historical enactment of memorable civil rights scenes and speeches.


• Performances by Illusions, the campus hip-hop dance group, and HALO, Truman's Hispanic-American Leadership Organization


• Student choral performances.


• Student magician to entertain children.

Unity through Knowledge

• Truman students will run a slide show and videos honoring Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Unity through Community

• Testimonials, music, and movement.

Unity through Food and Fellowship

• Potluck and live jazz performed by the Truman music fraternity—Phi Mu Alpha

Also during the week, 60 Truman students will go into the Kirksville public schools and childcare centers to read and share personal reflections about diversity, civil and social justice, and other community values. "The young people think it's cool to see the Bulldog athletes in full uniform reading to them in their classrooms," says Thomas.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a day for celebration and remembrance, education and tribute, and, above all, service.

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Two days before Hurricane Katrina hit, Tom Lecaque and his college buddy were heading to Tulane University—located in the heart of New Orleans—to begin their junior year. As circumstance would have it, their car broke down, delaying their arrival by a day. The next morning, the news advised voluntary evacuation from New Orleans.

Tom heeded the advice, but soon learned that he was homeless—at least school-less. Hurricane Katrina chased him all they way back to his hometown, Kirksville, where he immediately enrolled in Truman State University.

While he anticipated his stay would be brief—a semester at most—Tom now plans to finish his studies at Truman and not Tulane. Here's why:

• Helpful Admissions Staff. Though classes were already underway, Truman Admissions hurried him in. Within 20 minutes, Tom had all the information filled out to enroll, and the staff helped him figure out classes. If Tom needed anything, the Admission staff was there to help—and with a smile and upbeat attitude.


• Friendly Atmosphere. Truman is known as an easy place to make friends—in dorms, classes, and extracurricular activities. In the end, the fun Tom was having with his new friends partly persuaded him to stay.


• Challenging Academics. While Tulane has a reputation for being a hard-hitting academic school, Tom found that Truman was equally as challenging. The classes are tough and thought-provoking, and conversations continue outside the classroom.


• Approachable Faculty. At Tulane, Tom had knowledgeable professors, but they weren't friendly. At Truman, professors are fun and don't mind when you ask for help. Tom says, "They are both brilliant and nice—which isn't a guaranteed combination."


• Campus Atmosphere. Kirksville may not be a hotspot, but Tom can vouch for the fun atmosphere at Truman. All the students know how to have an exciting time and find things to do. And it's a bonus that you don't need a car, because you can walk everywhere.

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