The Trunzo Scholars Program began this summer and allowed seven College of Arts & Sciences students to participate in education abroad or professional internship opportunities. Established by Robert N. (Political Science ’78) and Anne Trunzo of Brookfield, Wisconsin, the Trunzo Scholars Program was designed to help political science and pre-law students expand their academic and professional horizons through education abroad and internship opportunities. The first class of Trunzo Scholars includes students who spent the summer interning in areas of politics, government, law, or public policy and in education abroad programs based in South Africa, Morocco and Spain, England and Peru. The comments and photos below provide a flavor of the students’ adventures and the life-changing impact of these intensive, high-impact learning opportunities.
“The most rewarding aspect of my Education Abroad experience in South Africa was impacting its nonprofit sector through my work at Inyathelo, the South African Institute of Advancement.
Education Abroad changes the way you see the world. I took a course on the history of South Africa prior to departing on my trip, so visiting the places I read about in textbooks, such as Nelson Mandela’s jail cell on Robben Island, was surreal. The summer I spent interning in South Africa only confirmed my desire to pursue a career in the legal field fighting for human rights.”-- Kassandra Satterly, senior history major (studied and interned in Cape Town, South Africa)
“I believe that my education abroad experience will greatly expand and increase my classroom learning. I have gained a lot of confidence from the knowledge that the education I have received here at UK has prepared me well to compete with students from other universities.”-- William ‘Evan’ Nixon, junior political science major (studied at the London School of Economics)
“My time in Washington, D.C., was extremely meaningful to me because it gave me the opportunity to live my dreams. I always knew I wanted to work in D.C., but the only knowledge I had was through things I had learned in class, seen on the news, and read in books. Coming to D.C. and experiencing all the city had to offer brought those things I learned to life. The combination of classroom learning and experience really brought lessons I learned in the classroom full circle.”-- Londyn Marshall, junior political science major (interned with Lake Research Partners, a DC-based public opinion and political strategy research firm)
“This internship solidified that I am on the right educational and career path. This summer, I worked long hours in the often high stress environment that is politics, but I enjoyed the experience so much that it did not matter. It made me realize the importance of setting high goals even when they seem to be nearly impossible to accomplish. The internship also taught me how to be more confident in myself and less intimidated by others. The U.S. Capitol is full of important and intimidating people, from senators to chiefs of staff to foreign dignitaries, but at the end of the day, they are all just people that you can have a conversation with on the elevator. The entire experience was something that I will remember for my entire life.”-- Hannah Bingham, senior political science and economics double major (interned in the Office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell)
“This internship has been an informative experience that has allowed me to see the inner workings of the legislative process and the strategy behind the very public actions taken on Capitol Hill. I have learned about political science in theory from a distance, but being at the epicenter of it all has allowed for an immersive, intensive learning experience. The Trunzo Scholarship made it possible for me to be able to have the experience of a lifetime. I would not have had the opportunity to accept an internship in DC without the Trunzo Scholarship.”-- Patrick Mason, junior political science major (interned in the Office of U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers)