https://www.ucf.edu/leadership/government-community-relations/

University of Central Florida Government Relations

About University of Central Florida Government Relations

The Office of Government & Community Relations assists with guiding UCF’s interactions with local, state, and national stakeholders. We advocate for the university and its mission at the local, state, and federal level to unleash the potential of the people, organizations, ideas, and the communities we serve.

Consistent with our office and university mission, we offer 2 high impact internship opportunities for students with an interest in learning the inner workings of state and local government to gain valuable professional experience.

Internship & Fellowship Opportunities:

UCF Legislative Scholars Internship Program: a prestigious nonpartisan 2-semester Fall (pre requisite class at UCF) and Spring (Full time internship in Tallahassee) where students will be placed with state legislative offices, or lobbyist offices in support of the Florida Legislative Session. Scholars learn directly from legislative and lobbyist staff while gaining valuable nonpartisan governmental experience and insight.

Each Legislative Scholar will be awarded a $3,000 scholarship for the Spring semester, in addition to having an all-inclusive apartment paid for and shared with a fellow Legislative Scholar in Tallahassee for the Legislative Session and reimbursement for travel expenses for one round trip to Tallahassee.

Interested students can locate the application by searching Legislative Scholars Internship 2025 (application will be available January 2024). Watch for Events posted on Handshake in the spring semester that will assist you with the application process and provide more details on the program.

UCF/City of Orlando Fellowship Program: a 2-semester (Fall and Spring) program designed to give students the opportunity to work on meaningful projects, develop new skills, and build relationships with professionals in areas such as Information Technology, the Office of the Mayor, Office of Business & Financial Services, and Public Works.

The program also helps the City of Orlando access the next generation of talented professionals and bring fresh perspectives to their operations. Selected fellows will receive an hourly rate of $15-$17 for their work during the program. The exact amount of the rate will be determined based on the office in which the Orlando Fellow is placed. Interested students can locate the application for their area of interest by searching UCF/City of Orlando Fellowship Program

We're excited to provide these exciting opportunities to our community's future leaders to further unleash their potential. For further questions, please contact governmentrelations@ucf.edu.

Reviews

Legislative Scholar/Intern

January 2022 - March 2022 Tallahassee, FL
“The ambience was truly unique. From being involved in the fast-pace and attending the committee meetings to attending events and getting to meet so many others from many other paths, it was a tremendous experience. Additionally, I genuinely could not have asked for a team of mentors than I was given, and I was fortunate enough to be embraced by those both in and out of the office. ”

Legislative Intern

November 2020 - May 2021 Tallahassee, FL
“Joining the Legislative Scholars Program was the best decision I made at UCF. As an intern, I had the privilege of working with and learning from some of the most influential people in the Florida Legislature and at my university. As soon as I was accepted into the program, my cohorts and I were taught everything we needed to know about how bills become laws, how the state legislature is structured, and how to represent ourselves (and UCF) well in Tallahassee. I wish everyone could experience this very unique opportunity! ”
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