To get paid to live four blocks away from President Barack Obama was exactly what political science major Andrew Bishop was given the opportunity to do when he traveled this past summer to Washington, D.C. as an intern for The Maddy Institute.

The Maddy Institute is about citizen participation, government leadership and policy analysis. It’s also a way for all majors to learn how local, state and federal legislative governments operate.

“Our goal here [at The Maddy Institute] is to engage Fresno State students in public service and encourage them to become future leaders,” Ian Wieland, The Maddy Institute program coordinator, said.

Bishop was able to intern for Senator Dean Florez’s office in the spring of 2009 and for Congressman George Radanovich in Washington, D.C. this past summer.

“What I learned in both internships is something I know I wouldn’t have learned anywhere else,” Bishop said.

Mass communication and journalism major Cassidy Smith was also able to intern in Washington, D.C. for Congressman Jim Costa’s office last summer.

“I think it was really neat to experience our nation’s Capitol as a student,” Smith said. “I got to go there and see the things that I had been learning about in my political science and history classes.

Smith said that there is no better place that she would have rather learned about our country’s history and our laws and policies than in our nation’s Capitol.

“It was a remarkable experience to be able to see the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and be in the middle of everything I hear people talking about all the time,” Smith said.

The Maddy Institute gives students the opportunity to intern in legislative offices not only in Washington, D.C., but also throughout the Central Valley and Sacramento.

History and political science graduate Andrew Madden was given the opportunity to intern for City of Clovis this past spring.

“The things I learned through my internship are invaluable and I learned more than just book stuff, I learned reality,” Madden said.

Students who are interested are required to turn in an application to the Maddy Institute office by this Friday, Nov. 19. The Maddy Institute office is located in the Thomas Administration building.