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Department of Political Science College of Liberal Arts

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Political Science:
Email: politicalscience@utrgv.edu
Phone: 956-882-8890(BRW)
Phone: 956-665-8065(ED)

Dora Sallie Maldonado
Administrative Assistant II
Edinburg Campus, ELABN 208
Email: dora.maldonado@utrgv.edu
Phone: 956-665-3341
E-Fax: 956-665-2805

Marcela Escalante
Administrative Assistant I
Brownsville Campus, BMSLC 3.218
Email: ela.escalante@utrgv.edu
Phone: 956-882-8890

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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."

 POLS Research Interns, Faculty, and Valley Legislative Internship Program (VLIP) Interns Get Together in Austin
(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

Flyer to apply


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.

Four individuals stand in front of a red, white, and blue float that reads “Census 2020” and “Be Counted.”
(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.

Photo of Over Garcia-Lopez
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

 

POLS Students Present Papers at Scholarly Conference
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.

 


 

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