Alumni Testimonial: Sydney Gross -- 2014 Session Assistant

Participating in the New York State Senate Session Assistants Program was the best experience of my college education.  As a student at the University at Albany studying public policy with a concentration in education policy, I applied for this internship to learn more about how government works, and more specifically to learn about New York State education policy and the challenges facing education policy on a daily basis. Being placed in Senator Flanagan’s office, who is the chair of the New York State Senate Education Committee, was a dream come true!  

Through this internship, I was able to gain the skills and the knowledge of how state government really works, how laws are made, and how to be an effective advocate. This internship is one of those experiences that sitting in a class and learning from a textbook cannot capture. It was about being on the floor while important pieces of legislation were being discussed, such as the controversial medical marijuana bill, and staying late with the staff in the office watching the 2014 budget get passed. Not only did this internship change my life, but a bill that I had been working on with my office was passed by both the Senate and the Assembly. I remember watching it pass on the floor and thinking that I just helped a family get one step closer to making a difference in their lives, and hopefully it will make a difference in many students' lives.  

The relationships you make from this internship are some you cannot gain in other places. I was very lucky to be placed in Senator Flanagan’s office, which has such a great staff to work with. It was definitely an experience I will never forget and a connection I will have for a lifetime!

Sydney Gross
2014 Session Assistant