Why did you decide to participate in the REP-PP?
I am interested in affecting change in America, and this “changing of the guard” moment is the perfect time to start doing that.

What are you most excited about as your semester in the REP-PP begins?
I am most excited to attend a Supreme Court argument. As a law intern at the EEOC, our office will handle briefs submitted to the Court, and my boss has indicated that I may be able to join him to watch oral argument.

What skills do you hope to gain from your experiences in the REP-PP?
I hope to hone my legal writing skills, and learn how high-level attorneys and government employees operate. I want to be better at thinking quickly on my feet without it being apparent that I am doing so.

How do you think this opportunity will help you develop as a lawyer?
I think this opportunity will help develop my professional persona as a competent and diligent communicator.

How does your participation in the REP-PP demonstrate the Aggie Core Values?
(Excellence, Integrity, Leadership, Loyalty, Respect, Selfless Service)
Participating in the REP-PP via my placement at the EEOC demonstrates my life-long commitment to end discrimination. It will allow me to demonstrate my commitment to bettering my community, bettering myself, and selflessly serving those who need a voice. This program will help develop my passion and commitment into leadership in the fight against discrimination in all forms.

What are your personal goals for your semester in the REP-PP?

1. I want to rid myself (mostly) of any self-doubt;
2. I want to make three new friends; and
3. I want to bike through the cherry blossoms in the spring.

Click here to read ​Kia's blog post on the Aggie Core Value of ​Excellence.

Why did you decide to participate in the REP-PP?
I decided to participate in the REP-PP in order to better myself and hopefully the lives of others through public policy work. I wanted the honor of representing TAMU School of Law in Washington, D.C. and to be a part of this new and exciting opportunity.

What are you most excited about as your semester in the REP-PP begins?
I am most excited to explore a new city and to work in a town that has so much history, influence and culture.

What skills do you hope to gain from your experiences in the REP-PP?
I hope to gain the ability to work in a fast-paced professional environment, learn to interact with different organizations – both governmental and non-governmental – involved in the policy making process.

How do you think this opportunity will help you develop as a lawyer?
This opportunity will give me insight into how policymakers and government interact. It also will allow me to use the research, writing & communication skills I have learned in law school in a new way.

How does your participation in the REP-PP demonstrate the Aggie Core Values?
(Excellence, Integrity, Leadership, Loyalty, Respect, Selfless Service)
Service to the public, through the public policy work we will be doing, exemplifies the Aggie Core Values. To serve the public, wherever that may be, is to serve selflessly. To be successful at our placements we will have to put all of these values into practice and live by them every day.

What are your personal goals for your semester in the REP-PP?
My personal goals for the semester in the REP-PP include:  challenging myself to perform the best work possible, learn as much as I possibly can, and to explore and appreciate the world-class city that is D.C.

Click here to read ​Joseph's blog post on the Aggie Core Value of Integrity.

Why did you decide to participate in the REP-PP?
It is a semester in D.C.! I was extremely interested when I heard about the program possibly happening but I as I got closer to the application process I became unsure if I could do it. Fortunately, Professor Rich and others never stopped supporting, encouraging, and believing in me so I ultimately decided to go for it; now I am going to work in D.C.!

What are you most excited about as your semester in the REP-PP begins?
I am very excited about my placement with the ACLU legislative office and I am equally excited to just be in D.C.

What skills do you hope to gain from your experiences in the REP-PP?
I hope to gain better advocacy skills working with the ACLU on criminal justice reform.

How do you think this opportunity will help you develop as a lawyer?
It is D.C. – this is the “big leagues” of public policy. Successfully completing this program and performing my best there means I can be successful anywhere, doing anything!

How does your participation in the REP-PP demonstrate the Aggie Core Values?
(Excellence, Integrity, Leadership, Loyalty, Respect, Selfless Service)
This program puts us in D.C. for an entire semester where we will be surrounded by the policymakers and stakeholders that shape the nation’s policies. Any Aggie law student who commits to this program has to (and will) demonstrate our Core Values because they are putting everything on pause in D/FW to move across the country and work in public policy in our nation’s capital. In order to do this, and do it well, it truly takes excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect, and selfless service.

What are your personal goals for your semester in the REP-PP?
First and foremost, I want to see as many monuments, parks and museums that D.C. has to offer. I also want to continue my personal and professional growth as I near graduation and complete my last semester of law school in a great public policy placement in D.C.

Click here to read ​Zack's blog post on the Aggie Core Value of Leadership.

Why did you decide to participate in the REP-PP?
Washington, D.C. is the place where things happen. I have been interested in public policy since college and public service since childhood. The REP-PP gives me the opportunity to engage in public service in one of the most dynamic and fast-paced cities in the world, with high caliber professionals, on the nation’s most pressing issues.

What are you most excited about as your semester in the REP-PP begins?
I am excited for the new experiences of living and working in a new city, as well as being able to enter a “real world” environment as a student.

What skills do you hope to gain from your experiences in the REP-PP?
I hope to become an expert on the legislative process and the intricacies of the federal policymaking landscape. I also hope to continue to advance my legal research and writing skills, particularly as they relate to public policy.

How do you think this opportunity will help you develop as a lawyer?
This program and my placement will allow me to develop my communication skills – both written and oral – and learn new aspects of professionalism as a lawyer in the government.

How does your participation in the REP-PP demonstrate the Aggie Core Values?
(Excellence, Integrity, Leadership, Loyalty, Respect, Selfless Service)
I hope to be an ambassador worth of the world-renowned institution that is Texas A&M. I will demonstrate selfless service in my externship setting, excellence in my work product, integrity and loyalty in my interactions with fellow students, respect in my interactions with new friends, colleagues and mentors, and leadership in my representation of Texas A&M and the REP-PP.

What are your personal goals for your semester in the REP-PP?
Through my placement I would like to gain a better understanding of the federal legislative process and develop the practical legal skills that public policy employers seek from law school graduates. Through my time in D.C. I hope to expand my horizons through networking with new people and exploring the history and culture of the city. I also hope to become a pro at public transportation, which really intimidates me right now!

Click here to read ​Avery's blog post on the Aggie Core Value of Respect.

Why did you decide to participate in the REP-PP?
The REP-PP is a once in a lifetime opportunity to immerse myself in the legal, political, and cultural epicenter of the United States. It is an opportunity to gain practical, first-hand experience in the public sector.

What are you most excited about as your semester in the REP-PP begins?
I am most excited about the opportunity to work on issues and policies that have an enormous effect on society at large.

What skills do you hope to gain from your experiences in the REP-PP?
I hope to learn how to effectively employ legal knowledge in the context of public policy and to develop the requisite skills for service as an attorney/legal scholar in the public sector.

How do you think this opportunity will help you develop as a lawyer?
First-hand, practical application of my legal skillset to broad-reaching public policy issues will aid in developing and sharpening the effectiveness and efficiency of the significant research, writing, and communication skills I have developed in law school.

How does your participation in the REP-PP demonstrate the Aggie Core Values?
(Excellence, Integrity, Leadership, Loyalty, Respect, Selfless Service)
The REP-PP embodies all the Aggie Core Values and my participation in the program not only reinforces my commitment to those values but demonstrates to the world what it means to be an Aggie.

What are your personal goals for your semester in the REP-PP?
To develop personally and professionally every step of the way!

Click here to read ​Tom's blog post on the Aggie Core Value of Loyalty.

Why did you decide to participate in the REP-PP?
I have always dreamed of working for the government in service to my country.  When I heard this program was coming together, I knew I had to be a part of it.

What are you most excited about as your semester in the REP-PP begins?
I am excited to learn about American history in the nation’s capital. I think every American should have the opportunity to visit D.C. and view the various historical sites and artifacts in person. I am sure doing so will bring new perspective on what it means to be an American citizen.

What skills do you hope to gain from your experiences in the REP-PP?
I want to develop strong interpersonal skills and the ability to synthesize and communicate complex policy issues in a way that is coherent, concise, and effective.

How do you think this opportunity will help you develop as a lawyer?
I would think that practicing the ability of taking large, complex policy issues and distilling them into digestible, easily understood pieces of information would prepare me for just about any area in the practice of law.

How does your participation in the REP-PP demonstrate the Aggie Core Values?
(Excellence, Integrity, Leadership, Loyalty, Respect, Selfless Service)
The Aggie Core Values are really synonymous with American values. I am so excited to bring what I have learned as an Aggie with me to D.C. These are values that should always exist and be prevalent, particularly in the nation’s capital.

What are your personal goals for your semester in the REP-PP?
I am looking to better myself not just as a soon-to-be lawyer but also as an American. When I arrive back in Texas at the end of this experience I look forward to being able to say that I took every opportunity to learn about my country and do something special in service of it.

Click here to read Mitch's blog post on the Aggie Core Value of Selfless Service.