Fifteen High School Students Intern with UT’s Institute of American Civics
The Institute of American Civics (IAC) housed at the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs (Baker School) hosted 15 students from area high schools for a Student Internship Program in the weeks leading up to the Tennessee Civics Academy (the Academy) June 24-26.
Under the direction of Educational Outreach Program Manager Frankie Nicole Weaver, the program provided educational and cultural experiences, civics instruction and mentorship for the students who represented Maryville High School, Bearden High School, Clayton Bradley Academy, and Fulton High School. Additionally, the students assisted with preparations for the Academy. Weaver was also assisted by five University of Tennessee students.
The interns toured the Howard Baker Jr. Federal Courthouse in downtown Knoxville and met with court officials, learning about their roles. In the afternoon, they participated in a mock trial with Judge Suzanne Bauknight.
This activity was a fan favorite among the students. Will Mead, a recent Bearden graduate and incoming freshman at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was interested in studying public affairs and economics, but after the mock trial he added law school to his post-undergraduate plans.
The students were able to participate in the University of Tennessee tradition of painting “The Rock” on campus. They highlighted some IAC and Baker School initiatives like Vols Vote, You Might Be Right podcast, and the TN Civics Academy.
The interns also learned about civic education while helping the IAC prepare and coordinate for the Academy. The multi-day professional development conference brings together K-12 educators from across the state to discuss ways to foster and teach topics in civic education and to nurture civic engagement and viewpoint diversity among the state’s youth.
For Mead, attending the Academy gave him a different perspective. “It gave me a better understanding of the teacher’s perspective towards having difficult conversations with kids and it made me more prepared to have those.”
Sophie Daniel, a recent graduate of Clayton Bradley Academy, said that attending the Academy helped her prepare for her first year at Sewannee University. “The lectures we listened to during the conference were eye-opening as a young adult entering college in the country’s current political atmosphere.”
In its first year, the internship program works to fulfill IAC’s mission of increasing civic engagement and education, something that students this session felt the program provided. Cole Ivans, a junior at Clayton Bradley Academy, “believes more people should take part in this internship like this, or similar experience to ensure our youth becomes active, informed, and responsible voters for democracy.”