“The levels of government aren’t as stratified as people think. Think of it more like a soup than a sandwich.”—Lawrence Landfair
This summer, Stevenson Center’s public relations intern, Lawrence Landfair, was one of four interns from across the state hired for U.S. Sen. Richard J. Durbin’s Office in Chicago. Landfair is currently a senior, studying to earn a double bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology. He is also involved on campus, serving as executive director of the Student Legislative Advocacy Coalition, vice chair of the Student Fee Board, and membership relations director of College Democrats at Illinois State University.
During his time at the Stevenson Center, Landfair has assisted in managing the center’s social media, made graphics for events, and published stories about the center and its partners. He started his second semester with the Stevenson Center this fall.
Over the summer, Landfair’s work included answering phones and helping constituents navigate the federal agency they needed to contact for their issue. He wrote memos for the senator and his staff about events, policies, and meetings with specific individuals and supported their press team with research projects.
“The Stevenson Center greatly prepared me for my internship,” Landfair said. “Before it, I had never gotten to work in a traditional office environment. And a lot of my work at the center overlapped with my summer internship. Like corresponding with outside parties and writing press releases.”
The passions that brought Landfair to work at the Stevenson Center are similar to those that drove him to seek the internship with Durbin. “I was always civically engaged,” Landfair said. “I remember happily watching presidential debates and primary coverage since I was 7 years old. As I grew older, I remained civically engaged and this is what led me to study political science and sociology.”
Landfair also recounted what he loved most about the internship: “Honestly, the staff and my fellow interns were what I enjoyed most. I feel that the people make the workplace, and I was lucky to share that space with them and learn all I could. And like the Stevenson Center, all the staff had an open-door policy. They were willing to talk at any time about anything!”
As for what he learned, Landfair said: “I found that community and economic development is just as, if not more, important on the federal level. Many of the infrastructure and welfare projects we see in our communities are made possible through federal funding. The levels of government aren’t as stratified as people think. Think of it more like a soup than a sandwich.”
He went on to say: “My internship solidified my desire to work in the government as a public servant. And because of that, after my time here at Illinois State, I want to get my master’s in public administration. I hope to one day become a city manager or open my own nonprofit!”
