The Messenger 12.10.08

The University of Tennessee at Martin has several students gaining experience in the state legislature.
Three students — Tianda Harris, a junior marketing major from South Fulton; Sara Stewart, a senior political science major from Pocahontas; and Jennie Brooks, a senior political science major from Martin — will serve as interns in the state legislature in Nashville during the spring.
UT Martin has participated in the state legislative internship program every year since it began in 1973.
In recent years, UT Martin interns have served in key positions with, among others, the offices of the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the House. While each year UT Martin’s interns see the legislative process, the experience for this year’s interns will take on added historical significance as they watch control of both the state House and Senate handed over to the Republican Party for the first time in more than 100 years.
Ms. Harris wants to pursue a career in international law. All three students plan to attend law school after graduation.
This year, UT Martin also had four students serving as officers on committees in the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature’s (TISL) mock legislature. Candace Dean, a senior political science major from Martin, served as chairman of the Conservation and Environment Committee; John Johnson, a sophomore political science major from Mt. Juliet, served as secretary of the Higher Education Committee; Christie Rushing, a junior political science major from Humboldt, served as chairman of the Judiciary Committee; and Angelia Stinnett, a senior political science major from Jackson, served as vice chairman of the Overflow Committee.
UT Martin participated in the TISL in the 1990s and is in its first year since it was revised.