Political Science Internships
Spring 2025 POLS Internship Dashboard
The Department of Political Science has placed a total of 21 interns for spring 2025. These internship opportunities provide real-world experience and academic credit for all majors.
State Capitol Internship at Austin: 13 students
| Student | State Representative | Supervisor |
| Lia Cavazos-Garcia | State Rep. Sergio Munoz Jr., Dist. 36, Palmview | Loradel Mariano |
| Venisha Colon | State Rep. Terry Canales, Dist. 40, Edinburg | Alma Uribe |
| Angela Flores | State Rep. Oscar Longoria, Dist. 35, Mission | Paco Sanchez |
| Natalie Garcia | State Sen. Adam Hinojosa, Dist. 27, Brownsville | Royce Albrecht |
| Brianna Garza Skurka | State Rep. Armando Martinez, Dist. 39, Weslaco | Scott Jenkines |
| Paulina King-Benitez | State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, Dist. 21, Laredo | Jorge Ramirez |
| Laela Ovalle | State Rep. Bobby Guerra, Dist. 41, McAllen | Stephanie Chiarello |
| Sylvia Rodriguez | State Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, Dist. 20, McAllen | Luis Moreno |
| Marleen Salazar | State Rep. Erin Gamez, Dist. 38, Brownsville | Nicolas Kalla |
| Samantha Sandoval | State Rep. Janie Lopez, Dist. 37, San Benito | Eric Parikakis |
| Randall Trevino | State Rep. Ryan Guillen, Dist. 31, Rio Grande City | Jonathan Wilson |
| Sophia Lopez | Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Austin | John Gibbs, Policy |
| Dua Manganhar | State Rep. Erin Gamez, Dist. 38, Brownsville | Nicolas Kalla |
POLS 3393 Legislative Internship: 1 student
| Ivan Martinez | U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, Dist. 34, Brownsville | Laura Matamoros |
POLS 3393 Government Internship: 4 students
| Sofia Alaniz-Gonzalez | Hidalgo County District Attorney Terry Palacios, Edinburg | Rosalinda Cantu |
| Hector Montemayor Jr. | Hidalgo County District Attorney Terry Palacios, Edinburg | Rosalinda Cantu |
| Maria Ramon Hernandez | Hidalgo County District Attorney Terry Palacios, Edinburg | Rosalinda Cantu |
| Rey Rodriguez-Vazquez | Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz, Brownsville | Edward Sandoval |
POLS 3393 Research Intern: 1 student
| Ethan Prouty | Brownsville | Dr. Mark Kaswan |
POLS 3190 Legal Internship: 1 student
| Ashley Castaneda | Hernandez Law Firm, Edinburg (3 hours) | Lendy Vazquez |
Archer Fellowship Intern: 1 student
| Celine Salas Rodriguez |
Internship Opportunities for “Real World” Experience and Academic Credit for ALL Majors
See "5 Reasons an Internship Rocks."
(From Left) POLS Research Interns Cesar Villegas (2017) and Erika Gonzalez (2018-19), and Faculty Dr. Natasha Altema-McNeely and Dr. Mi-son Kim, get together with Austin Legislative Interns Jacquelynn Hernandez and Ylana Robles during the Southern Political Science Association Conference Jan. 17-19, 2019, in Austin. Cesar and Erika both presented papers. Jacquelynn is a state Capitol Intern for Rep. Ryan Guillen, and Ylana is an Intern in the Capitol office of Rep. Armando “Mando” Martinez.
Legislative Interns at the Texas State Capitol in Austin in Spring 2025
Eleven interns have been selected to work in the Texas State Capitol in Austin for the 89th Texas Legislature in the Valley Legislative Internship Program (VLIP), a collaboration of the Political Science Department with the UTRGV Governmental Relations Office.
Students gain hands-on experience in the Austin offices of the Rio Grande Valley state senators and state representatives.
Three others have been chosen for The University of Texas System Legislative Fellowship Program (TLFP). They will serve in other legislative and state agency offices in Austin.
These 14 students will earn six hours of political science academic credit.
Congratulations to Lia Cavazos-Garcia, Venisha Colon, Angela Flores, Natalie Garcia, Brianna Garza Skurka, Paulina King Benitez, Laela Ovalle, Sylvia Rodriguez, Marleen Salazar, Samantha Sandoval, Randall Trevino, Sophia Lopez, Dua Manganhar, and Maria Ramon Hernandez.
Here’s what our State Capitol Interns said about their Internships in the last Texas Legislative Session in 2023 & See the Rack Card
RGV Internships in Fall and Spring: POLS 3393 - Three semester credit Hours
• Be a Legislative Intern or a Government Intern
for a state or federal legislator or in a city or county agency
• Be a Research Intern
Available with political science professors or Center for Survey Research & Policy Analysis (CSRPA). Students must have a minimum of 12 semester credit hours in political science, a 3.0 GPA in their political science courses, and a 2.5 cumulative GPA. For additional information, see “Be a UTRGV Research Intern” or contact Dr. Ruth Ann Ragland at ruth.ragland@utrgv.edu.
- UTRGV Political Science Research Intern Selected for Ralph Bunche Summer Institute at Duke University. Erika Gonzalez, a UTRGV Political Science major and Research Intern, has been selected for the American Political Science Association’s Ralph Bunche Summer Institute at Duke University in Durham, N.C., for summer 2019.
- Erika has been a Political Science Research Intern working with UTRGV Political Science faculty Dr. Dongkyu Kim and Dr. Mi-son Kim focusing on globalization, deindustrialization and social capital.
- The Institute’s namesake is Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize winner, former APSA President, and the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in political science. For more, click “2019 APSA Ralph Bunche Summer Institute Scholars.”
- POLS 3190 (1 credit) and POLS 3390 (3 credits) Internship. These courses are designed for students seeking academic credit hours through an Internship placement. Click POLS Internship Guidelines for details.
Do I qualify? Junior/Senior, Min. 12 POLS hours, 3.0 GPA in all POLS classes, and overall 2.5 GPA
• Be a Legal Intern – POLS 3190
For a private law firm or a legal organization, Qualifications: POLS 2305, POLS 2306, 2.75 overall GPA. Up to four credits
For additional information, see “Be a UTRGV Legislative Intern” or contact Dr. Andrew Smith andrew.smith@utrgv.edu and Dr. William Gordon william.gordon@utrgv.edu
UTRGV Political Science Intern Participates in 2020 Census Event. Yamileth Uribe, a POLS Legislative Intern in U.S. Rep. Henry Cueller’s District Office in Mission, participated with her On-site Supervisor, Outreach Coordinator Nichole Hernandez, and others in the Census Grand Opening Ceremony in Edinburg on Oct. 10 to encourage residents to be counted in the 2020 nationwide Census.
(Left to right): Moise Arjona Jr., MHP Salud; Nichole Hernandez, Congressman Cuellar’s Outreach Coordinator; Laura Trevino, Texas A&M Colonias Program Associate Regional Director; and Yamileth Uribe, Congressman Cuellar’s UTRGV Political Science Intern.
• Want to be an Intern in Washington, D.C.?
Bill Archer Fellowship Program. Washington, D.C., internships offered by the UT System for experience and academic credit. Students are selected through a competitive application process administered by the UTRGV Honors College. For additional information, go to http://www.utrgv.edu/en-us/academics/colleges/honors/index.htm.
Over Garcia-Lopez, a Political Science major and an Archer Intern for fall 2019, has received a Washington Media Scholarship and has accepted an offer for an Internship at STG Results, a political and public affairs advocacy firm in Washington, D.C.: https://www.stgresults.com. His long-term goal is to work on a presidential campaign. In spring 2019, Over was a Legislative Intern for U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela in Brownsville, participated in the Model United Nations Program, and was a Supplemental Instructor for POLS 2306 – Texas Government and Politics.
The UT System offers the Bill Archer Fellowship Program in Washington, D.C., for experience and academic credit. Students are selected through a competitive application process administered by the UTRGV Honors College. For additional information, go to https://www.utrgv.edu/honors/for-current-students/index.htm
Research Intern Erika Gonzalez presented a paper, “Globalization, Deindustrialization, and Social Capital,” co-authored with Dr. Mi-son Kim and Dr. Dongkyu Kim, at a Southern Political Science Association Conference in Austin. She recently graduated from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law School.
Political Science Fast Facts
See Political Science Internships Fast Facts Fall 2015 – Spring 2024
Still have questions? Contact Dr. Ruth Ann Ragland at ruth.ragland@utrgv.edu.