University of St. Thomas senior Victoria Haddad put her education into action this summer after being selected for the Texas Governor\u2019s Internship Program. Haddad\u2014a pre-law student and double major in political science, as well as criminology, law & society\u2014interned for the Policy and Budget Division in the Office of the Governor, where she saw firsthand how policy is created and implemented.
\n![\"Victoria](\"https:\/\/blogs.stthom.edu\/encounter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/11\/hi-res-haddad-300x284.jpeg\")
\n\u201cWe learn about it in class, but having the real-world experience, getting to meet lawmakers, getting to meet people who have stepped into these leadership roles that are so important and affect so much of what we do and experience, that was pretty incredible,\u201d Haddad said.<\/p>\n
A Focus on Education<\/strong> \u201cWe see the benefits of this when students are properly educated and have the opportunities available to them,\u201d Haddad said. \u201cWe know this, and that\u2019s why we encourage scholarships around Texas for private education, but for public education we need to be funding these programs. The amount of potential in our students is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n Haddad herself received a scholarship to attend the University of St. Thomas. Because of this, she said her experience with the internship held a particular meaning for her.<\/p>\n \u201cAdvocacy and policy for education have become very important to me, because here at St. Thomas, with the scholarship that I\u2019ve been given, I have experienced what that can do,\u201d Haddad said. \u201cSomebody\u2019s belief in you can be a catalyst for so much growth\u2026their belief in you can be enough to make things happen that will create a better and more secure environment for you to go places in your future\u2014that\u2019s invaluable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t
\nHaddad\u2019s work for the internship largely focused on researching areas pertaining to education. She studied teacher quality gaps and student performance outcomes with the goal of solving how to balance these factors better. She also studied information on charter and public schools, all of this research done with the desire, she said, to maximize the education each student receives in Texas.<\/p>\n