The Capitol is many things. It serves as a tourist attraction, a visual highlight on Madison's skyline and of course, as home to Wisconsin's political process. To students, it can also be the starting point for breaking into a career in politics.
UW-Madison junior Adam Korn, for one, ran for Dane County Board last spring after working as an intern at the Capitol for a year and a half. Although he lost the February primary, he said his experience at the Capitol still taught him a lot and was very helpful in his campaign.
In an interview, the political science major shared some of his experiences and advice.
Korn's journey to his campaign started in his freshmen year when he called the governor's office to ask if it needed an intern. It turned him down because he had no experience, but Korn pursued other opportunities in the Capitol and found a legislator whose voting record he liked. He was hired as an intern for Terese Berceau, D-Madison, who had lost one of her office staffers due to budget cuts.
""They took me right away and had me doing a lot of office administrative stuff,"" Korn said. His duties included writing letters to constituents, taking calls, arranging meetings and working on legislation.
""It was weird,"" he said, ""I became a mini-legislator in the office right there, right then.""
Korn found his work at the Capitol exciting and said politicians were often found yelling into each other's faces in the hallways.
""It's always exhilarating being up in the Capitol,"" he said. ""I got chills every time I walked up the steps. It's the most beautiful building in the world. You just walk in and it looks like ‘The West Wing.'""
Korn found motivation for his campaign during his internship and said he wanted to be part of what he sees as noble work done by the kind of people he worked around. The internship familiarized him with the politics and issues that helped him in his campaign and also helped him get to better know Wisconsin, since he is a native of the Chicago area.
""I think I got a nice foundation from working in the Capitol,"" Korn said. He thinks his biggest assets gained from the internship were the connections he madeA-—Berceau had been on City Council, and others within the office gave him insight based on the experiences they had.
For students interested specifically on political campaigns, Korn suggests students go beyond internships and work on campaigns. He said if students can identify with a candidate, they can probably get a good position in the candidate's campaign. This can help them learn how to be better organized, something he wished he had done better during his campaign.
Campaign positions also can help students get a grasp on local politics, which Korn said differ from state issues that are dealt with in the Capitol. Korn encourages students who are passionate about issues to get involved.
""I feel like right now we could have better student representation. Issues that affect you affect everyone,"" Korn said, adding that students should find issues they care about and focus on them in their campaigns.
Korn has moved on from his internship and is currently looking to be involved with the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In the future he sees himself working on a campaign, possibly for a presidential candidate, and working in the district attorney's office.
""I have a fire in there for civic responsibilities,"" he said. Perhaps students with a similar passion can follow his example and advice.
