Student Spotlight: Jake McPhail ’24 Shares his Experiences with Trinity College’s Legislative Internship Program

Olivia Papp ’23

Managing Editor

Jake McPhail ’24, a history and political science double major, is a current junior at Trinity College. Originally from Southington, Connecticut, McPhail grew up under the interpretation that there was not much in Hartford.

“I just thought Hartford was a place where people went to work. All my life, I was told nothing is in Hartford. It wasn’t until I got to Trinity that I realized Hartford had so much more,” said McPhail.

“I chose Trinity because I am from Southington, Connecticut, and Trinity was close to home. As soon as I stepped on campus, I knew this was the place for me. I was intrigued by the idea that Trinity was located in Hartford.”

McPhail has had a transformative Trinity experience, as he has explored unique opportunities provided by both Trinity and Hartford.

“I applied to participate in the Legislative Internship Program. Fortunately, I was accepted to the program and, by my sophomore year, I was working at the State House with House Speaker Matt Ritter. I was doing a surprising amount of constituent work and answering phone calls.”

Not only was this experience valuable in leading McPhail to his passion for political and policy involvement, but the program also helped him create vital connections that would be integral in gaining further work opportunities.

“Through connections I made in the Legislative Internship Program, I was able to work for the Connecticut House Democrats. In this internship, I was canvassing and phone banking.”

These two experiences assisted McPhail in learning about the internship in Senator Murphy’s office.

“I applied to work in Senator Murphy’s office and was given the position. All the time, I am able to meet different politicians. I have been working there this year and have grown to love it. For this internship, I answer phones and attend events such as Round Table. I love going to Round Table. This took place at an elementary school in Hartford with fifth graders. Murphy attended because he wanted to hear input about the Inflation Reduction act. A lot of the students spoke about how they want to feel safer in Hartford. They want to be able to walk to the store without being harassed and want money to be put into bettering the Hartford community. As far as their education, the fifth graders were happy. Seeing Senator Murphy attend meetings such as this spoke volumes to how much he respected younger generations’ ideas and hopes for the future,” McPhail said.

Hartford is a place that can lead students to find and follow their passions, as McPhail was led to kick off his political career.

The application process for the Legislative Internship Program is standard. Anyone who is interested can apply, as there are no major requirements. If accepted into this program, one can choose to do this internship part time to receive two credits. If one chooses to do this internship full time, one can receive up to four credits.

“I chose to take the four credits. It is pretty easy to manage academics with a full-time internship, as I worked Monday through Tuesday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. Hartford is a place with much opportunity, and I encourage everyone to take advantage of opportunities such as this one.”

The upcoming deadline for the spring semester is due on November 7th, 2022. The application can be found online.