Shown above, Sen. Pearce, left, with Spring Legislative intern, David Rogers.

I always enjoy sharing the legislative process with students, and this legislative session, my office has the privilege of working with a full-time intern to help better serve the 21st Senatorial District. My staff and I are always thrilled to have new faces in the office and this year our intern is David Rogers, a student at the University of Central Missouri (UCM).

David Rogers, the son of Jack and Christine Rogers of Warrensburg, is a student pursuing a double major in Political Science and International Studies with minors in Spanish and Legal studies. Rogers will graduate in the spring of 2016 and plans to attend law school.

Rogers participates in several student organizations at UCM including Student Government Association, Honors College, Sigma Pi Fraternity International, Mock Trial Team, and Talking Mules Speech and Debate Team.

He is also involved in the Warrensburg community, and has worked as an assistant manager for the Warrensburg Community Center Pool along with being a paper boy for the Daily Star-Journal. He is a member of the Sons of the American Legion Troop 999 and serves as a city counselor and former governor with the Missouri Boy’s State Program each summer.

Interns help make the office run smoothly and efficiently, while providing students an opportunity to gain practical experience and an inside perspective of how state government operates.

I am always looking for individuals who will add to my hard-working team. Interns must be able to offer insightful thoughts regarding issues affecting constituents. Strong written and verbal communication skills are a requirement, since everyone on our staff must be able to communicate effectively with constituents and other government offices. Our goal is to provide quality information about government at all levels, and our interns play an important role in that goal.

Interns are responsible for assisting with media-related tasks, handling constituent concerns, completing legislative research and performing other duties that will help my office run more effectively for the benefit of citizens in the 21st Senatorial District.

Typically, interns work during either their Fall or Spring semester in exchange for college credit hours. A full-time internship requires more than 30 hours a week, while a part-time internship may be one day a week. High school students are also encouraged to interact with the office by participating at a job shadow which is typically for a single day.

If you know someone interested in learning first hand how your state government works, go to my Senate web page and click on “Apply to be an Intern” under “Constituent Services” to fill out an application.  

As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff with any questions or concerns at any time. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions and trying to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone at 866-277-0882 (toll-free) or (573) 751-2272, or by fax at (573) 526-7381.