A heterogeneous group of Tech students gathered outside the Student Center early Tuesday morning in preparation for the fifth annual day at the Capitol.
The event was organized by the Student Lobby Board (SLB) in conjunction with SGA, and held open registration in order to allow any students who wanted to the chance to visit the Georgia State Capitol and meet representatives, senators and other officials, some of whom are Tech alumni.
“We kind of helped plan the event and we’re glad to see people are interested,” said Robert Smith, a first-year CS major, who worked with the SLB.
Two Stinger busses were used to transport students to and from the Capitol. They departed at roughly 8:30 a.m., and arrived back on campus about a quarter before noon. While there, Tech students were able to personally meet state congressmen and some of the intermediaries between Tech and the state government, a number of whom advocated for working in or with the government as a career.
“I interned [at the Capitol] my senior year at Tech and liked it so much I never left,” said Dene Sheheane, the Vice President for Government and Community Relations. His responsibilities include acting as a liaison between some parts of Tech’s administration and the state government.
“When I was at Tech, I knew this was what I wanted to do,” said Bert Reeves, state representative of Georgia’s 34th district.
In his talk, he urged any students present who had similar professional goals or interests to pursue at least an internship at the Capitol, citing the great experiences of other interns.
“I’ve been at GT day at the Capitol every year that I’ve been at Tech,” said Laura Margaret Burbach, a third-year public policy major and the Vice President of Academic Affairs for SGA. “I interned here last Spring, and wanted to see everyone again. As an intern, you see lots of groups at the Capitol, and it’s really meaningful to see the legislators interact with them.”
Laura Margaret met with Brooks Coleman, Representative of the 97th District and Chairman of the House Education Committee during the trip to talk about current issues in higher education.
Tech students’ excursion ended with a short presentation by various administrative personnel including Sheheane and President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. He spoke about the productive and mutually beneficial friendship between Tech and the State government, which he hopes to continue.