Welcome to Digication Scholars Conversations.
I'm your host, Kelly Driscoll.
In this episode, you'll hear my conversation with Thaddaeus
Canuel, a recent graduate of Arizona State University.
More links and information about today's conversation can be found on Digication's
Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Full episodes of Digication Scholars Conversations can be found on
YouTube or your favorite podcast app.
Welcome to Digication Scholars Conversations.
I'm your host, Kelly Driscoll.
And today I am so excited to introduce Thaddaeus Canuel.
Thaddaeus is a recent alumni from Arizona State University.
And I happened to learn about Thaddaeus from his ePortfolio,
which was so beautifully shared in the school's ePortfolio directory.
And I actually had a chance to Have a wonderful conversation with one
of his teachers, Gina Woodall, who oversees many of the internships that
happen at Arizona State University in the political science area.
And Thaddaeus ePortfolio is a result of one of those ePortfolios.
So Thaddaeus, thank you so much for joining me today.
I'm really excited to give you the opportunity to tell your story.
Yeah, thank you.
It's a pleasure to be here.
I'm excited.
So I mentioned Thaddaeus is a recent alumni.
Thaddaeus, could you tell us a little bit about what you majored
in at Arizona State University?
Yes, absolutely.
So, um, I actually did a double major.
And so, um, I studied political science, um, and psychology.
And so, um, now I'm happy to say I have, uh, two bachelors.
It's very exciting.
Very exciting.
And, um, as I mentioned, I, I learned about you from your ePortfolio.
Um, at what point in your studies did you start, um, taking courses with Gina?
How did you get involved in this internship experience?
Well, it's actually really funny because this internship class was the first.
first time that I'd really interacted with, uh, uh,
with Gina, um, significantly.
Um, I was in this, uh, it was the School for, um, Politics and Global Studies is
the school at ASU, uh, that I was in.
And, um, I'd been with several professors before who had spoken, um, very fondly
of, uh, Gina and, um, like Professor Strickland, um, Things like that, um, and
so it was actually Professor Strickland who got me onto this internship track.
Um, it was last summer, summer 22, that, um, I interned in D.
C.
in the House of Representatives.
Um, and it was because Professor Strickland had nominated me.
Um, for this internship program, uh, with the Fund for American Studies, uh, TFAS.
And, um, that just, basically, it lit a fire inside of me.
I had a huge passion for working in politics then from that point
on, and so then, um, I managed to get another internship in DC.
And so I took that internship program, um, I took that internship class, uh,
with Gina and, uh, working with her to do my portfolio and learning everything
that I did for my, um, internship and doing the reports and everything.
It was just, um, that, that semester was just a wonderful experience for me.
Awesome.
And I look forward to hearing more about that.
And one of my questions, uh, about the, the latest internship,
what was the duration of that?
How long did you get to spend time in DC?
So it was for about four, almost five months.
Um, it was for the entirety of the, of the spring 2023 semester.
I was there from January until I was there from early January to early May.
Um, so yeah, four or five months.
Nice.
So, before you came to ASU, you mentioned that you had a double major.
Had you always been interested in studying political science?
What, what led you in that direction from the beginning?
Uh, Yes, I have always been interested in that.
It's actually a really funny story.
So, um, I had been involved with politics and the law and the
court since sixth grade, actually.
I joined a court program, a mock trial club in sixth grade, yeah.
And I had been involved with that for all three years of middle school, and
then when I went to high school um, At my high school, there's this really cool
organization called, um, the Arizona Teen Court Association where, um, I, uh,
where we were able to have a peer jury trial for, um, adolescents in, um, our
area who had committed misdemeanors.
And, um, they had, in trial, they had already pled guilty, and so then the judge
refers them to our program, and then we basically conduct a trial where we, um,
find out, um, why they did what they did, and learn their story, um, And then from
that, we determine what, um, reparations will be necessary for them to repair
the harm that they've, uh, committed to their, uh, that they've inflicted
on the community, things like that.
And then it's really awesome because then, um, once they fulfill these
reparations, their records are cleaned, um, it gives them a second chance,
um, and the program is incredible.
It's been proven to reduce recidivism rates dramatically, um,
I think it's almost, it's over 90%.
of the adolescents who come through the teen court program, um, do, do not get,
um, do not get detained again by police.
And so it's a really incredible program and I loved it.
And so, um, just being involved with this, this, these types of
programs since middle school.
All the way until I graduated and went to ASU, um, I just, I knew that
it was always going to be something that I was going to be involved in.
And so, um, yeah, I studied political science, um, just from the get go.
I was just, I just knew that it was something that I always wanted to do.
Well, what an incredible experience for you to have had in middle school
and then in high school working with You know, you already got to have these
kind of real world opportunities, and I imagine that that, you know, being
able to see your impact on the youth that were really on both sides, right?
Um, those that were involved in the, the trial and the, um, Individuals that were
kind of growing from those experiences that they had that led them to be
in that position in the first place.
Um, and wonderful to hear that it's made such market change
on the community there too.
Um, sounds like that's really set people on a lot of.
Positive paths on on both sides.
Um, so I was curious before you were, um, working in the ePortfolio.
I know 1 of the big reasons that it's been implemented at Arizona State
University and used in the, um, political science kinds of disciplines is so that.
Students are having an opportunity to really reflect on their various
learning experiences that they're having.
And was that something that you had been accustomed to before
you started using the ePortfolio?
And how did you use it as part of your internship?
Um, well, yeah, I guess I would say I wasn't very accustomed to doing stuff
like that before, um, it was, um, yeah, it was definitely, yeah, not something
I was very used to, um, because then people would just, I would just, my
previous internships, people would just ask me, it's like, oh, what did
you do at your previous internship?
And I was like, oh, I did it.
Like this and that, just trying to like, come up with stuff off the top of my head.
But then, um, right?
Um, but then, um, this portfolio actually, it did really help me, especially, um,
because with our, um, with our class.
Um, it was like, you need to update your ePortfolio regularly, um,
as like part of your assignments.
And I was like, okay, yeah, I'm gonna do that.
Um, and so any major project that I'd worked on in my internship,
I made sure I got a copy of it to put into my ePortfolio.
Um, I mean, you said you like looked over it.
So like one of my One of my pages, it's that, um, there's several, like,
reports that I wrote, or honestly, even I've managed to get one of the
copies of, like, the bill text of, uh, of a bill that I had to analyze.
Um, I was able to put all that in.
And so, um, putting those things in on a regular basis and putting in those,
um, trying to, trying to critically, um, evaluate, like, the skills that I
was developing and honing while I was in this internship and putting those into my
portfolio, I think it did really help me, um, and especially now that, um, even, I
don't necessarily even have to refer to my ePortfolio to really know what I did
in that internship when people ask me.
It's because I did that.
It's because I did that it, like, grounded me in my internship and
really helped me to see everything that I did and everything that I
benefited from, from that internship.
And so now it's much easier for me if, you know, if they say, what did you
do at your internship in the house?
I'll still kind of be like, eh, like, let me think for a second.
But then if they say, what did you do in your internship at the senate?
I'll be like, oh, I got you.
I got this, this, this.
Like, so it definitely helped me.
to fully realize the benefits that I gained from this internship.
So yeah, I'm definitely grateful for it.
Oh, that's wonderful.
And those are definitely the stories that we like to hear.
And it's one of the reasons that I think it's so important to include the student
perspective in these conversations too.
I know when Many, uh, educators start using the, um, what we
kind of call folio thinking or, um, portfolio kinds of pedagogy.
We often are aware that students may be creating the ePortfolios as part of a
class experience, internship experience, but it's something that You know,
those are, that are using it mindfully really want it to be a value for the
student, even beyond that particular course or even time at the institution.
And one of the things that research has shown is that The, as students are
kind of going through that process and reflecting on their learning, whether
they do have the opportunity to share their portfolio with people outside of
the school or not, that they've become much better communicators about their
skills, what those learning experiences, um, really did for them, how it's shaped
them as a person and can often kind of You know, sometimes serve as solidifying the
trajectory that they might be on, but also may bring some things to light that create
opportunities for students to pivot and what they may want to do in the future,
whether it's, um, you know, pursuing different things within their education or
what kind of career path they may go on.
Um, so I was curious as part of the.
Internship experience.
You mentioned that there's a number of different examples of work that you
did during your time at the Senate.
Some of the reports and, um, things of that nature.
What was the process like for you to kind of.
Choose what you wanted to include within the ePortfolio, because it seems like that
was somewhat open, um, because everybody was having different kinds of experiences.
So what kind of artifacts or pieces of work were you selecting
that you wanted to share?
And were there any kind of permissions that you needed to get from the people
that you were working with at the Senate?
How did you kind of handle what you wanted to put in?
Who you were going to share it with and how you were going
to get the okay to do so.
Um, yeah, absolutely.
Well, it was actually pretty easy.
I mean, uh, basically for my, uh, for how I decided what I wanted to include,
I was basically the things that took the most effort and the most time.
Like, um, I know I put in the, um, NDAA, uh, the National Defense
Authorization Act for 2023.
Um, because, um, that's, like, basically the budget bill for the Department
of Defense, and, um, it, I spent, like, It must have been two, three,
maybe even four weeks, like, almost an entire month, like, working on this
bill, analyzing it, going through all the appropriations, and seeing, like,
what, where funds got appropriated to, um, if Arizona got any, um, bill, if
Arizona got any funds, because, um, I'm from Arizona, I was working for an
Arizona senator, um, and, yeah, it was just so much work, and so I got to the
end, and I was like, Oh, no, no, no.
We are, we're putting this in the Portfolio.
Like, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna get credit for this.
Like, um, so I think definitely those ones.
But then it's also, you know, on a less pragmatic note, it's just like, those are
the ones that were the most significant to me, that meant the most to me.
And I was like, I did really good work here.
And so I want to, I want to demonstrate that.
Um, And then, um, a lot of the other ones were reports on committee hearings, um,
so those ones were pretty interesting.
Those ones took me usually the better part of a day, um, because
they'd be transcribing and summarizing the questions and the
comments made and things like that.
So yeah, just the things that I was basically the proudest of, uh, were the
things that I put into the Portfolio.
Um, and then actually getting permission was really easy, uh, because, um,
honestly everything that I put in, um, I didn't really need permission
because it's, it's all public record.
Um, the NDAA, um, was, is publicly available on congress.gov, um, and Um, all
the committee notes, um, I mean, yes, they were my work for the office, but the thing
is, they were transcriptions and summaries of committee hearings that were also
publicly available and things like that, so I didn't really need permission for
any of those, um, just because they were already public knowledge, so I was just,
yeah, just threw them in, so, but yeah, so yeah, that was my process, definitely
the stuff I was the proudest of, um, and yeah, it's easy to put in, um, so yeah.
So Thaddaeus, you mentioned as part of your internship in DC that it
lasted around four to five months.
And as part of this kind of reflective practice, how often were you adding
new materials to your ePortfolio?
And with all of the, um, Many things that you were handling day
to day as part of the internship.
I know you were very busy.
How are you able to kind of set aside time to create those beautiful
reflections that you have shared alongside the various documents and
experiences within your portfolio?
Um, yeah, absolutely.
So, um, honestly, I feel like one of the first things I should do
is, um, thank Professor Woodall, Gina, because, um, the way she set
up the class was kind of genius.
Um, so,
it's almost like she knows what she's doing, like, yeah, but, um, so the way she
had the class set up was that, um, I think she had us, um, Update our portfolios as
an actual assignment, um, maybe four or five times across the entire semester.
Um, however, in addition to that, we also had these, um, assignments where
each week we had to submit an update of our internship and what was going on.
And so then what I did was I had a little notebook with me.
And I would have, um, the days of the week written on my, in my
little notebook, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
And so then, at the end of each day for my internship, I'd just take, like,
10, 20 seconds, just jot down, like, the, like, the two or three, like,
big things that happened that day.
It'd be like, this is the project I worked on, this is what was
going through my head at the time.
Or like, this is the big thing that went through my head that day and, um,
this is, um, you know, the thing that had the biggest impact on me, um, and
sometimes those would be, sometimes that would be, like, a committee
hearing, um, or sometimes that would be, um, uh, sometimes that would just
be talking to a constituent on the phone who just had, like, a really
powerful story that I really enjoyed hearing about, um, that kind of thing.
And so, then, at the end of the week, when the assignment was due, I'd go over
those notes, and then I'd type up my, um, update, usually, like, paragraph to,
like, a page, about, and I'd submit it, um, and then, when those assignments came
up to update the Portfolios, actually, what I did a lot of times was that I
went back to those notes, and I went back to those weekly updates to read
through, kind of, all of them and be like, okay, I can see, like, the overarching
themes here, and Um, I can see how my skill set in this specific area, um,
was improved and things like that.
And so I was able to work on those and, uh, I was able to
update my portfolio in that way.
And, um, I feel like those, um, that self reflection stuff, um, that stuff
is, um, kind of for a while it's been kind of easy for me now because, um, I
also, I love to, um, I love to write.
In my, um, kind of in my free time, um, I play around with like fictional stories
and I write stuff like that all the time.
And so, you know, like one of the big facets of that is, you know, kind of
delving into a character's mindset and kind of like, what are they thinking?
What are they feeling?
So the thing is, is that in my free time, I do that.
So I'm already kind of used to it.
So it's definitely easier for me to, you know, write down a reflection
about a project that I worked on or my reflection on how my skills
in this one area, um, were honed over the course of the internship.
Um, so, yeah, I feel like, uh, my proclivity in my hobbies,
um, and then also, um, Dr.
Gina Woodall's, um, genius, um, class structuring is definitely helping me,
uh, definitely helped me to hone in this portfolio, um, to the point where,
yeah, I think I, um, I think I worked on that portfolio, um, Maybe once every few
weeks, um, maybe once every month, maybe.
But, um, because of, like, all the groundwork that I was laying, because
of the internship class, um, I was able to put so much into that portfolio every
time that I came to look at it, even if it was, like, really once a month.
Yeah.
And I think it's a great strategy that you had during your day to day to just kind
of jot down for yourself some of the kind of key things that were happening, you
know, these kinds of learning moments and feelings that you were having experiences
that happened that day that you could draw from as you were drafting these.
Longer form kinds of reflections within the, within the Portfolio.
And were you provided with any kind of, um, prompts as part of developing
the Portfolio, where there are things that were kind of embedded in the
Portfolio pages that you were responding to, or maybe that were part of the
assignment that you had received that were helping kind of guide how
those reflections might be written.
Um, I guess not.
Um, not like explicitly, um, it was kind of one of those things where, um, Dr.
Woodall had, um, the assignment on, and then, um, you know, at the very beginning
of the semester, she was like, your big thing is going to be this ePortfolio,
um, at the end of the semester, you should have, like, a gorgeous ePortfolio
that fully encompasses your entire internship, um, and so then, right,
pretty much, like, um, but then, uh, she would, uh, she had several examples down.
Um, and then she did kind of have like kind of a basic overview, a basic
description, um, I can't even quite remember what it was, but um, I got
the general idea, but I think most of the inspiration did come from the
examples, um, honestly, actually, what I did, I think was, um, I, um,
basically, whenever I was working on my portfolio, I'd have like one or two
of the examples, like in another tab, on my computer so I could look and see
like, okay, I see what they did here.
Um, and so I see it was like, oh, they did like these three, four
skills, characteristics, and they expanded on them in this portfolio.
So let me think what three or four characteristics or skills that I feel
were the most relevant to my internship.
And let me expand on that.
Um, a lot of that, I was going into, um, a lot of that went into.
So I drew a lot of inspiration from the examples that Dr.
Woodall had provided.
I was just gonna say that I think it's, um, wonderful that you were
able to see examples that were created by students in the past.
Um, I know ASU has put a lot of time and.
Thought into creating, um, templates for students that have some guidance and
scaffolding in place, um, for different experiences that they might be having.
And you mentioned that many of the different pages kind
of right at the beginning.
Set several different skills right at the top.
So for those that are actually viewing the Portfolio as you're going through
different pages, You see those skills listed and that almost gives you a
kind of sense of the narrative that you're going to have the opportunity
to read more into as your, you know, interests may carry you through
the various pages of the Portfolio.
So it's a really smart kind of strategy in guiding viewers.
Through the various types of content and skills that you're going to be
describing and, you know, kind of setting the stage as you're moving through the
Portfolio, everything that you've been able to gain as part of this experience
and growth that you've had, um, having these kinds of real world experiences.
Um, and it's interesting to hear.
You know, as you were crafting the various portfolios that you were kind
of thinking about those skills first and using that as a kind of guiding structure
for developing the reflections and narratives that, um, now live alongside
those, um, incredible documents that you've shared in the, in the Portfolio.
Um, so I had a, um, question for you.
You know, when you were taking part in this internship experience, you
mentioned that you were sharing the Portfolio as it was being
developed with your, uh, professor.
At any point, were you sharing it with other peers that were in your classes?
Did you ever, um, share, you know, links with family or did you
share it with people that were?
Also participating in the internship, whether it's people that were supervising
you there or other peers that I don't know if you were placed with other
peers in the same place, but you know, what was the kind of audience around
your portfolio as it was being created?
And has that changed at all since you've graduated?
I don't know if it's something that you still share with others today.
So, um, yeah, so during my, um, semester, it was, um, I think one of the things
that I was kind of bummed about, um, in this class was that, um, most of the other
students in the program were, uh, mostly in Arizona, and were studying there.
Um, and then here I am, um, clear across on the other side of the country,
across like three different time zones.
here in DC.
And so, um, that was one of the things that I was slightly kind of bummed out
about because, um, I didn't really have much chance to interact with the other
students in the, um, in the class.
Um, yeah.
So, um, I mean, the most opportunity that I had to interact with them was
that we had a couple of, um, we had a couple of, um, discussion boards,
um, in Canvas for the assignment.
Um, So, yeah, I would have liked to have interacted with them more, um, but I mean,
besides that, um, I did share it with some of my classmates, um, or I did share it
with some of my, um, colleagues, sorry, in the internship, um, one of my colleagues,
um, she's still a very good friend of mine, um, she was here, um, she was also
from ASU here in DC, um, in a different program, um, and she was also doing...
Uh, I think she was also doing an ePortfolio, um, and, uh, so we kind of
compared notes, um, talking about, or, like, sharing kind of like, oh, okay,
like, this is what I'm getting from the internship, or this is what I'm doing,
um, and, um Yeah, it was kind of a really cool experience to kind of compare our
portfolios because like, we were having the same, we were from the same school,
we were from the same state, we were working for the same senator, and we
were doing the same Portfolios, but then even then, our portfolios were actually
kind of like significantly different.
And I was, um, it was very intriguing to like see the differences between
our portfolios because like, oh my gosh, like, I didn't even realize
that you were getting this from this.
I didn't even realize you were getting this from this internship.
Like, that's really cool.
Um, that kind of thing.
Um, so yeah, definitely.
Um, it was definitely really cool to be able to compare our portfolios.
And I do wish I did have a chance to, uh, share my portfolios
more and kind of engage more with my classmates in the class.
Like, I definitely would have loved to have met with them and
be kind of like, Hey, let's go over our portfolios and stuff.
And I would love, I would have loved to learn more about their
internships as well, because I know some of them were interning
for the, um, Arizona State Senate.
Um, and I know some of them were interning.
I think one of them was interning for like, the Arizona Attorney
General and things like that.
Um, so I would have been like, oh my gosh, I would have, I would love to,
I would have loved to have been able to learn more about their internships,
but I think it was just like, just the distance and the time difference.
It was, wasn't very feasible, but you know, it's okay.
I'm still very grateful for my experience.
And I also wanted to, uh, ask you to, um, you mentioned that, you know, you
do a lot of creative writing in your free time and may have kind of a natural
inclination and and passion for writing.
Um, for, for students that might not have, um, You know, that same kind of drive,
uh, for writing that may be embarking on this, uh, portfolio experience.
Do you have any advice for them about how to kind of maybe think about
the experiences that they're having?
What, what are some of the kind of mindsets that you have when you
sit down to, to write about your, yourself and your experiences?
Gosh, that is a, that is a good question, because, um, in my interactions
with a lot of people, I have really found that there are pretty much,
like, in that world, there really are, like, two types of people.
There are the types of people who, uh, will just, who love to read, like, live
and breathe the stuff, and love to write.
And, um, their brains are just spouting out, like, entire universes,
and stuff like that, and it just comes so naturally to them.
And then there are those who aren't like that.
And there isn't really, there isn't really any in between, I've noticed.
Um, and so And it really does seem to just be, like, people's
brains just work differently, and so people who are proclu...
Who have a proclivity for, like, reading or writing, it's really something
that's, like, innate in them, and then, yeah, the people who aren't,
I mean, they're usually, like, so smart in other ways, like, oh my gosh,
math, They'll be like math geniuses.
And I'll be like, you know, I, you know, I got algebra.
I understood that.
I got the calculus.
I was like, what the heck is this crap?
So, um, I'm like, good on them.
Like, love that for them.
And so, gosh, trying to think, um, so it was a very long winded way of saying,
like, it's a difficult question because these people who don't, these people
who aren't inclined to read and write, their brains work very differently.
And so, um, I'm trying to come up with advice for them is, um, really difficult.
I mean, I would say, um, maybe for, I could see, like, with movies and
stuff like that, when, like, characters talk about themselves, like, in
movies or Um, anything like that.
Um, just, um, thinking about, like, what's going on in their
heads during the movies, um, that's something that I try to do as well.
Um, or like, you know, like, in the rom coms, there's always that, like, that
tension rises up, and then there's the, there's the obligatory, like, Burst of
love confession that always happens in, like, the rom coms, and it's hilarious.
And the thing is, I think of it kind of like that.
If, um, if people aren't inclined to, like, read and write, I'd
be like, think about that.
Like, think about something where suddenly they're just spewing
everything out, um, or, um, you know, writing letters to people and things
like that, explaining how they feel.
Um, just kind of those Kind of maybe putting it into, like, a real
world context, be like, pretend that you are talking to somebody else.
Try to explain how you felt or, um, what you learned, what you experienced.
Um, just try to put it into a real world context, pretending that you are writing
a letter or writing a report for somebody.
Um, I think, like, that's how I would do it.
Um, Because I feel like real, real world applications are always so important,
especially for those people who are usually more grounded in, you know,
logic and math and that kind of stuff, I would definitely be like, put it in
a real world context, pretend that it is Something that you're doing like for
a superior or you're writing a letter to somebody who needs to know like
your experiences and stuff like that.
I guess that would be how I'd do it.
Um, real world applications are always, um, a great thing.
Um, I'm a very hands on person.
I love real world applications.
So I guess that would be like my number one, uh, recommendation.
Thank you.
I think that's very useful.
And it kind of goes back to this conversation about the The audience around
the ePortfolio too, you know, if you're thinking about as you're writing the
reflections, you know, who, who do you want to, who do you want the reader to be?
Who do you want the viewer of your experiences to be?
Um, Even if it may be more limited in the beginning, how might you
share it more openly in the future?
Um, you know, if that's your, if that's your preference.
Um, so I was also curious, um, Thaddaeus, that, um, do you think that this kind
of reflective practice, um, now that you had it as part of that internship
experience is something that you'll.
continue using now that you've graduated?
Oh, goodness.
Um, I certainly hope so.
Um, because I think it was so valuable.
Um, I think, um, oh, goodness gracious.
Um, because I feel like there's always room for self reflection.
I think self reflection and introspection is always such an important part of life.
Um, because I feel if you don't, Um, I feel like you're not going
to make any real progress unless you really understand yourself.
You're not going to be able to understand what's going on outside
of you without the context of understanding what happens inside of you.
Um, because, um, I think one of the things I learned a very long time ago, and it's
something that I say a lot actually, um, that, um, perspectives are subjective.
And we experience reality through our, uh, perspective, and so even if we are
observing, like, an objective reality, that is still, our observation of that
objective reality is still gonna be a subjective, is still gonna be subjective.
Because the way we interpret it and the way we perceive it is subjective
based off of our own, um, our own minds and our own, the way our brain works.
And so I feel that introspection and that self reflection and examining how
we're learning, how we're growing, how we're thinking is so important because
we need to have that understanding to put our surroundings and our environment
into the context of our perceptions.
Um, and so, I definitely hope that I will continue using these skills, and
I, um, I think I have been, maybe not so much, um, maybe not so explicitly
as, like, writing down a paragraph of, like, this is how I'm reflecting on this,
but definitely using those skills in my head more, kind of being like, okay, I'm
seeing how I'm learning from this, I'm seeing how this can affect me down the
road, um, and that kind of thing, but no, I definitely, um, I definitely want to
make sure that I keep this in my life, because, um, um, Again, I don't feel
like, I don't feel like you're going to be able to move forward in life and truly
learn and grow from your surroundings without putting it into the context of
your own personal perspective because your personal perspective, um, is the strongest
influence in your life because, again, it is how you, your perspective is how you
process everything in your surroundings.
So, um, definitely understanding that and making sure that you're able to grow and
recognize that growth is so important.
Thank you.
Um, that was Really beautifully said.
And as you were speaking, I was recalling a conversation we had.
We weren't, um, recording at the time, but we were having a conversation
about how, um, life can often provide opportunities to pivot.
And, um, I was wondering as part of your own kind of journey and, and growth, if
you have any moments like that, that you might like to share with our listeners.
Oh my gosh, um, I definitely have one.
Um, I might have another, I'm just trying to remember, but the number
one that I think is the most, is the most hilarious is, um, yeah, my big
pivot in my senior year of high school.
Because, um, as I was saying, I'd been doing court works and teen work,
teen court, um, like through middle school and through high school.
It was like, it was my, that was my extracurricular.
Like, that was what I did.
Um, and even for the Teen Court, um, I, um, I joined, in my
freshman year of high school, I joined the Teen Court Association.
Um, sophomore year, I became the treasurer, and then junior and
senior year, I was the president.
Um, and so, um, that was like, that was my thing.
And, um, but it was really funny because this entire time I have been
wanting to go into engineering because I am a sci fi junkie, I love Star
Trek, I love Star Wars, I love it.
And so I wanted to be an aerospace engineer.
I wanted to design, like, the spaceships and the space stations
that we would use to, like, launch ourselves into the space age.
Like, that's what I wanted to do.
Um, but then, in junior year, I took Calculus 1.
And I did not do well.
And so, um, I went into senior year basically realizing, like,
wow, engineering is not for me.
And so then, um, I basically had, like, kind of this, this crisis,
because I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm going into my senior year of high school.
I'm going to college next year, and I have no idea what I want to do.
Um.
But then, um, I kind of re evaluated myself, and then I realized, I was
like, oh my gosh, I've been doing court, I've been doing, like, court
and law stuff since middle school.
Why don't we try that?
And so then, my senior year of high school, I, um, took a ton of, I
took a ton of, um, elective courses.
I took, uh, criminal justice, I took AP psychology, um.
All these different classes, and I fell in love with these classes.
Um, Criminal Justice was my absolute favorite class.
Um, AP Psychology was my absolute favorite class.
It was just the best experiences I'd ever had.
Um, I was a TA for my government teacher, um, in my senior year as well, and I
just loved working with her as well.
It was just absolutely incredible experience, and it was like a whole
new world had been opened up to me.
I was, I always tell people it's like senior year.
Those classes I took, it was like a fish finally being,
like, thrown into the water.
And I was like, oh my gosh!
So, um, definitely, um, a huge pivot in my senior year of high school.
So, like, honestly, probably, like, the most inopportune time, or maybe
the most opportune, because it's definitely, I'm definitely glad that
I went into college with the intention of studying political science.
instead of going into college with the intention of studying engineering.
So, um, yeah, definitely the, the big, big pivot of my life.
Um, and then I think the other big pivot of my life was when I was in my, um,
Summer Internship last year, um, and then, um, I was just kind of going through
the motions and everything, but then I was at an event for my program, um, and
then my Arizona Senator was speaking at this event, and so, um, Senator Kirsten
Sinema, um, love her, she's great, um, and so she was speaking at my event, and
then suddenly I had the idea in my head, just popped in my head, I was like, why
don't you stand up from your table, And like, go out and basically ambush her
outside of the, outside of the hall.
Um, and so, and so I did.
Um, and that singular moment, I didn't realize it at the time, um, but that
singular moment was a huge pivot as well.
Because, um, that one moment, that one decision, that one bold
action, like, I was terrified.
It was so scary when I did that, but that changed my entire
trajectory, like, forever.
And so, um, yeah, that was another big pivot of my life.
Um, but yeah, no, I definitely agree with you.
Life is, um, life is just a ton of unexpected pivots.
Um, and yeah, just kind of going with the flow, um, but also, yeah,
just being intentional when you see opportunities, like, going for them.
Um, but, yeah, those are, like, my two big pivots, I think, so far in my life.
We'll see how many more I go.
I know.
I can't wait.
I hope we can talk again and see where you have gone.
Um, so, I know there's been some exciting things that have happened for you since.
Graduation.
And maybe it was related to this brave moment that you had to go talk to Arizona
Senator, but could you tell us a little bit about what you're doing today?
Oh my gosh.
Yeah, absolutely.
So, um, as I was saying this past semester, I was interning in the Senate
for the Arizona Senator, Kirsten Sinema, and, um, my internship ended in May.
Um, but, um, here I am again, um, I am once again in D.
C., um, and this is a permanent move because I am now holding a permanent
position in Senator Kyrsten Sinema's office, um, so, um, you know, the, the
dream scenario for every intern, um, my internship turned into a permanent
position, so, um, absolute dream come true, so yes, I am now here in the
Senate, um, on a permanent basis, yes.
Um, and so, yeah, I'm very excited to be here.
Yes, congratulations!
So, um, do you know what some of your new roles and responsibilities will be?
Have you already started, or is that something that's Coming up soon.
Yes, um, I have been here for, um, a few weeks now.
I'm trying to remember.
I think this is my fourth week I'm currently in right now.
Um, and so it's been pretty slow because we're out of session right now.
So, um, it hasn't, um, been very busy, um, but, like, also extremely busy because,
like, you know, the Senate never sleeps.
I mean, just because, um, just because the Senators aren't here doesn't
mean that we're not still doing work.
Um, because, you know, we've still got constituents to serve, I mean, Arizona
doesn't take a break for a month.
Um, although, yeah, so, the Senators definitely deserve this break,
they use it, and actually most of them use it to go back home.
and meet with constituents and serve with their constituents
and find out what they want.
And so this is a very productive time for the senators, um, for them
to go back to their home state.
Um, but you know, we stay here, um, we, we hold the fort,
um, we serve as best we can.
But yeah, so mostly what I've been doing is kind of finding my
feet, um, getting ready to go.
Um, I've already been, um, parts, I've already been in several meetings
with our legislative correspondents, um, meeting with Um, different, um,
organizations, um, just learning.
Learning so much.
This entire month has just been so much learning.
Um, and I absolutely love it.
And, um, yeah, it's been great.
I've learned so many things, um, in so many different policy areas now.
Um, and so I am definitely Very excited to see what I will be able to do, um,
in the future to, you know, help in the Senate and, you know, help my,
help, um, help my fellow Arizonans.
It's very exciting to be serving them, um, in this capacity, um, and
I really hope that I can, you know, make, uh, make a good, Make a good
difference for Arizona and, um, you know, for the United States as a whole.
Very excited.
Wonderful.
Well, Mattias, thank you so much for joining me today and sharing
your story and experience.
It's very inspiring and, uh, wonderful to hear how the ePortfolio benefited
you throughout your internship, but very pleased to hear how it is also.
Through that experience provided you now with this kind of exciting next
step in starting your, your career.
And, uh, I wish you all the best.
Yes, thank you so much.
It was so great talking to you.
Um, yeah, absolutely.
Um, the highlight of my week.
Oh, good.
Glad to hear it.
I'll take good care of Thaddaeus.
This concludes our conversation.
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