Networking and Learning through MontPIRG
Edited by Emily Pritchard
Kaylee Nassiri, a Sophomore Political Science major with a concentration in International
Relations, interned with MontPIRG during Fall Semester 2015. “The resources and knowledge
I have obtained this semester will definitely help me in
the future with my career!”
Where are you interning?
“I'm currently an intern with MontPIRG! I have really
enjoyed being an intern for MontPIRG thus far this
semester. I absolutely love that I have the opportunity
to connect with other students with similar interests
as myself, as well as, work on campaigns with other
people that are passionate about what we are doing.
The goal of MontPIRG is ‘to help students become
informed and equipped with the knowledge, skills, and
confidence to advocate for the public interest.’
“On a normal day, I do a variety of things, including
collecting petition signatures to Save the Smith River,
making calls to inform students and members of the
community about upcoming events, and helping out
around the office! I am constantly on the move and
doing something productive.”
Why did you decide to intern with MontPIRG?
Kaylee collecting signatures for the Smith River
Campaign
“I took this internship for a variety of reasons, one
being that I just transferred to UM from Baltimore, MD
with my boyfriend so I didn't know many people and was looking for the opportunity to
meet people with similar interests as me. I was also looking to obtain my internship credit
and build my resume!”
Where did you find this internship?
“I found out about MontPIRG by a representative coming to my Comparative Politics class
and telling us about the internships and volunteer opportunities that were available. They
also spoke briefly about the Smith River campaign and I thought to myself, ‘that sounds
cool I'll look into it.’ Soon after I had an interview with Katy, and became an intern!”
Was the experience what you thought it would be going in?
“The internship was exactly as I thought it would be as Katy (the internship
supervisor) gave me very clear expectations from the beginning!”
What has been the most rewarding part of this experience?
“It's been extremely rewarding to work on the Smith River Campaign, I have met so many
awesome people that just make the work worthwhile. I really have enjoyed the opportunity
to meet so many more people on campus and in the community while collecting petition
signatures; it's helped my transition to Missoula be a lot smoother!”
What’s your favorite part of the internship?
“I have really enjoyed all the campaigns and events I've worked on but I especially enjoy
our classes every Tuesday night and being able to get insight from alum that were once a
part of MontPIRG, I find it extremely valuable to be able to gather more information and
stories about the non-profit that I intern for!”
Have there been any challenges?
“The most challenging part of this experience for me was that I had committed myself to so
much this semester that often I felt over-stretched. I had my normal school workload, as
well as my job and then the internship on top of that including my office hours. Even
though it was a downside, it did help me improve my time management and ability to
multi-task.”
How has this internship benefited your career goals?
“Not only has my network grown tremendously due to my involvement at MontPIRG, but I
also have learned so many basic skills that I otherwise wouldn't have known, such as
making phone calls; petitioning; and being able to efficiently and actively work on a
campaign. The resources and knowledge I have obtained this semester will definitely help
me in the future with my career!”
“This experience has definitely reaffirmed my career goals, I have always known that this
was what my interest was in so, for me to be able to get hands on experience working on
several campaigns my sophomore year was great!”
And what are your career goals? Do you plan on doing more internships in the
future?
“I plan to go where the opportunities take me, but if we are talking big goals I would love to
be a member of Senate one day! As far as what I want to concentrate on with legislation, I
would love the opportunity to work with saving our country’s wildlife.”
“I definitely plan to pursue more internships following this semester, I'm looking to
possibly do something over the summer while I live here in Missoula!”
What advice would you give other students considering opportunities like this?
“If I could give other students advice about pursuing an opportunity such as this one, I
would say do it! No amount of experience is too much experience! Any opportunity to grow
is a great opportunity and you will meet fantastic people along the way!”
“Participating in this experience has been door opening for me, bringing me many
opportunities for the future, especially with MontPIRG!”