Sunday, March 25, 2007
Apprenticeship with Sarah Hubbard: Part II
Inside a courtroom in the Capitol building; Me with Liz Brater, Michigan Senator for Ann Arbor area
During the second half of my day with Sarah we sat in on an educational hearing for a panel of Senators, including Liz Brater. Representatives from the public colleges and universities in Michigan spoke to the panel about a variety of issues from state funding for the schools to enrollment trends. It was really interesting to hear each of the representatives talk about their position and purpose in the educational industry in Michigan. It definitely got me thinking about schools from a business and marketing perspective.
I also got to sit in on a conference call with the Department of Homeland Security in Washington D.C. The purpose of this conference call was to discuss pilot programs for RFID chips in cards that would allow travel between the United States and Canada. This program would limit the use of passports in transit between the two countries. I learned that the issue was important in Michigan government because Michigan wants to be a pilot for the program like Washington state will be soon. It was interesting to hear all of the different arguments for policy implementation between the different parties who participated in the phone conference.
Overall, my entire day with Sarah was a ton of fun because I got to see so many things and meet so many great people. Sarah was very honest with me and I felt like I really got first hand experience of a day in the life of a lobbyist. We had fun discussing everything from politics to just chatting about the business school, since Sarah is working on her MBA at the Michigan Business School. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to meet Sarah and she is definitely someone I will keep in touch with!
Sunday, March 18, 2007
The Capitol building in Lansing
My day with Sarah Hubbard, the Vice President of Public Affairs for the Detroit Regional Chamber was so awesome! I learned so much about state government and politics, as well as a lot about what a typical day is like for Sarah and what a lobbyist in state government does.
I was really excited when I first got to Lansing and finally met Sarah, as well as her assistant Dan. Sarah took me over to the Capitol building where we watched the Senate convene at 10am. It was really interesting to see how business was done on the Senate floor. Luckily, Sarah talked me through everything that was happening because it all occurred pretty quickly and was a little confusing at times. My favorite part was when one of the senators, Randy Richardville, introduced his first bill and was consequently "harrassed" by some of the older senators. Sarah introduced me to Randy after the session was over...he's really nice!
Sarah Hubbard and I in her office building
After we watched the Senate meeting, we sat in on an MDOT - transportation presentation that was being made for a committee made up of members of the House of Representatives. This was really interesting to me because it brought to life many concepts that I've learned about at Michigan. For example, the presenter gave a life-cycle cost analysis for Michigan roads to determine the useful life of each road and figure out at what point it is no longer beneficial to invest in the road. It was interesting to see him use this information to point out that the state was investing in repairs of roads that were at the end of their useful life, which means the money was wasted because they needed to be completely redone.
After sitting in meetings all morning, Sarah and I went to lunch with her assistant Dan. It was really interesting to hear Sarah talk about how a big part of her job is just going to the meetings and hearings like the ones we had just gone to to see the reactions of the state politicians to the issues. She said that even a lot of times it's enough to just be seen there, because if she shows up at a hearing, even if she does not necessarily have anything to say to any of the policitians, they know that she was there and know that the Detroit Regional Chamber cares about that issue.
A courtroom in the Capitol Building
That's all for now, I'll write about the second half of my day with Sarah in my next blog!!!
Friday, January 19, 2007
I'm a Michigan Apprentice!!!
Hi everyone!!
I can't believe I'm a Michigan Apprentice! As you can see, it's taken me about two months now to get over the shock, because this is my very first blog entry. I suppose I should start from the beginning...
My name is Lauren Sandusky and I'm a junior majoring in business and marketing with a minor in crime and justice. I applied to the Michigan Apprentice program for the apprenticeship with the Detroit Regional Chamber because I've always been interested in politics, and even considered concentrating in political science when I first came to school at the University of Michigan. As a student in the Michigan Business School, there isn't much room in my school schedule to pursue interests outside of the business field, so this apprenticeship was the perfect opportunity for me to experience a career in politics first hand.
I'm really excited to spend a day with Sarah Hubbard, the Vice President of Public Affairs for the Detroit Regional Chamber in Lansing. I can't wait to meet her and talk about her career and the experiences she's had to get to where she is today. Stay tuned for more updates!
I can't believe I'm a Michigan Apprentice! As you can see, it's taken me about two months now to get over the shock, because this is my very first blog entry. I suppose I should start from the beginning...
My name is Lauren Sandusky and I'm a junior majoring in business and marketing with a minor in crime and justice. I applied to the Michigan Apprentice program for the apprenticeship with the Detroit Regional Chamber because I've always been interested in politics, and even considered concentrating in political science when I first came to school at the University of Michigan. As a student in the Michigan Business School, there isn't much room in my school schedule to pursue interests outside of the business field, so this apprenticeship was the perfect opportunity for me to experience a career in politics first hand.
I'm really excited to spend a day with Sarah Hubbard, the Vice President of Public Affairs for the Detroit Regional Chamber in Lansing. I can't wait to meet her and talk about her career and the experiences she's had to get to where she is today. Stay tuned for more updates!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
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