Where are they now?: Jared Newman -- 2013 Session Assistant

1. When did you participate in the Undergraduate Session Assistants Program or Senate Fellowship?

Session Assistants Program --Spring 2013

2. Which Senate office were you placed in during your internship?

Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

3. Briefly describe your responsibilities/day-to-day activities in your internship office placement.

During my time as an intern for Senator Stewart-Cousins, I was tasked with everything from answering the phones to sitting in on meetings with other legislators and advocacy groups. Most of the work was clerical (i.e. tracking legislation, cataloging constituent issues, etc.), but served as a base for my current position as a Legislative Aide. I also got great exposure in observing floor actions in the Senate Chamber in person; no amount of training or word of mouth information can convey that experience.

4. Where are you working now? Briefly describe your responsibilities/day-to-day activities in your current place of employment.

I was hired immediately following the conclusion of the Session Assistants Program to continue working for Senator Stewart-Cousins in the LOB office until the end of Session 2013. Following that, I transferred to her district office in Yonkers, where my duties varied even more than they had in Albany. I was tasked mostly with keeping the Senator on her schedule, making sure she arrived on time at all her community engagement events, meetings with legislators, and press events. I also represented the office at various community events when she could not attend. Additionally, in the office I answered and logged constituent issues, tracked and updated files on legislation, and attended meetings with local community members and public figures. I was in the district office from July 2013-August 2014. I am currently back in the Albany office working part-time while I complete my Master’s in Public Administration from Rockefeller College at SUNY Albany.

5. What did you learn from participating in the New York State Senate internship programs that you have been able to carry over to your new position?

Professional etiquette. The most salient thing I took away from the program was professionalism; how to conduct yourself in public, no matter the audience. That and quick adaptability, whether it be receiving an assignment on short notice, or asked a question in a public forum with little time to react. All in all, it’s about not losing your nerve.