Julia Alves – a fourth-year student majoring in Political Science – completed her internship with Representative Ben Diamond at the Florida House of Representatives this past legislative session.
“I had the opportunity to be one of two interns for Representative Ben Diamond,” Alves said. “I was able to attend democratic caucus meetings and gain first-hand experience by watching congressional members achieve consensus and bring forward their ideas.”
Along with her internship with Representative Ben Diamond, Alves spent the past two summers interning with Ninth Judicial Circuit Judge Gisela Laurent. These internship positions have given Julia invaluable experience both in the political and law fields.
In addition to her internships, Alves is actively involved on and off campus. She is a member of Delta Gamma Phi, a women in pre-law society; volunteers at Tallahassee Animal Services; and has studied abroad at FSU’s Valencia Study Center. Alves has been a member of Kappa Alpha Theta for the past three years and is actively involved in their philanthropy project: Court Appointed Special Advocates Association for Children.
“Volunteering with CASA was the most impactful and eye-opening experience I had at Florida State,” Alves said. “It was an unexplainable feeling to be able to help provide a voice to abused and neglected children in the foster system. It makes all our problems feel minute in comparison to what these children are experiencing.”
When asked why she chose FSU, Alves said “The minute I stepped foot on Florida State’s campus, I instantly felt welcome and at home. I always knew I wanted to major in political science, and after researching I was amazed with the size of the department and the extensive number of courses that are offered.”
The rigorous course work at Florida State, support from professors and extracurricular experiences have helped prepare Alves for the next chapter in her life: law school! We are so proud of all her accomplishments and wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors!
To learn more about FSU’s Political Science program, visit coss.fsu.edu/polisci.