English Major Geena Michaelides ’22 Testifies During Maryland General Assembly Internship

The English senior spent her final semester interning for Senator Melony G. Griffith.

This semester English major Geena Michaelides ’22 interned at the Maryland General Assembly (MGA) for Senator Melony G. Griffith. On March 15, 2022 Geena testified during the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee. We spoke with her afterwards about the experience and future plans for after graduation.

What did you do during your MGA internship this semester?

My day-to-day consisted of researching bills, finding the answers to constituent issues, attending meetings and completing executive summaries for Senator Griffith. A major part of the internship for me was finding a particular issue I was interested in and tracking any legislation and news articles that came out on the subject. I chose environmental sustainability, so SB 528 (Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022) was a major topic of interest for me during the 2022 Session, and I was lucky to have the opportunity to join meetings with lobbyists who were in support of the bill during my internship.

What skills from the English major did you use during this experience?

The writing and communication skills I have developed as an English major were a huge help working as a legislative intern. The Senator was super busy during the Session, and because of this, I would attend meetings with the Chief of Staff on her behalf. These meetings would be hosted by lobbyists, business owners, constituents, activists, etc., and they were bringing awareness to important issues within the community and the state. Speaking with these people and writing concise summaries on the meetings was one of my more important tasks during the Session.

I also relied on problem solving skills; there are hundreds of constituents that contact the office in search of legislative assistance. In addition to finding quick solutions to their issues, I was tasked with creating a Resource Guide that organized all of the Office's constituent service contacts. The guide makes it quick and easy for the Office Staff to assist a constituent with any concerns they may have.

I remember pretty early in my internship, a grandmother contacted our Office asking for our help. Her grandson had been denied from a number of housing assistance programs and she couldn't afford to continue placing him in hotels. I spent hours that day calling shelters, programs, and government agencies all around the state in search of useful information for this grandmother. The Senator had even given me a couple places to call. By the end of the day, I was able to compile a list of agencies and programs that would provide housing for her grandson, and I remember feeling good about being able to help someone.

How did you prepare for the process of giving a testimony?

Something that helped me prepare to give my testimony was the ENGL381 class I took in the fall semester with Dr. Lowderbaugh. The class prepared us for the internship at the Maryland General Assembly, and part of the class require us to present oral testimony in front of the class. Not all interns get to give testimony during their time interning at the General Assembly.

About halfway into the internship, the Senator called me into her office just to check in. She asked me if there was anything specific I wanted to do during my time in Annapolis that I did not yet have the chance to do. At this point, I had written testimony on her behalf, but I wanted to present my own testimony in front of the committee. And so I asked if I could, and she was very enthusiastic about me wanting to testify for one of her bills.

The prep work included drafting up a couple versions of testimony and presenting them in front of the Senator and the Legislative Aide for feedback. What I intended to be the final version of my oral testimony became the final version of my written testimony, and before I knew it, I was practicing my oral testimony in front of my office an hour before it was time to present it in front of the committee.

What are your plans for after graduation?

My plan after graduating is to attend law school in the fall. I'm particularly interested in studying International Business Law.

Interested in the MGA internship? Learn more and apply here.