Alumnus discovers interest in politics through internships at the White House and with Congressman
Post Published On:When President Donald Trump ran for re-election in the fall of 2020, Thomas University alumnus Meigs Lamb was an intern in the Office of Presidential Correspondence, where he handled letters, emails and phone calls from constituents.
“It was an election year and with COVID and everything else going on, it was just extremely eventful,” Lamb said. “People had a lot to say about what was going on. I really enjoyed hearing directly from the American people from all over the country.”
As part of the White House internship program, Lamb also attended the guest speaker series each week and helped with events on the South Lawn, such as the garden tour and being an usher for the rose garden. He especially enjoyed helping with the Halloween event.
Before he arrived in Washington, D.C., Lamb grew up in the Tallahassee area and graduated from North Florida Christian High School before enrolling at Thomas University, where he was a member of the TU Night Hawks Baseball Team. As a TU student he volunteered in several community events, including the breast cancer awareness run and the Alzheimer’s walk. Lamb also presented research at the Georgia Psychological Society Conference.
“Dr. Steve DePaola has had a big impact on me as well,” Lamb said. “I had several courses with him as my teacher at TU. In his classes I gained a deeper understanding of psychology and was able to cultivate my analytical and critical thinking skills.”
In the spring of 2020, Lamb graduated from Thomas University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Lamb credits the research and writing skills he learned at TU with helping him in the White House internship and in another internship in the summer of 2021 in the district office of Florida Congressman Neal Dunn in Tallahassee.
‘It’s really interesting just talking with these folks and learning what their interest are and what they hope to achieve. It’s also given me a little bit of perspective as to what I might want to do.’
Meigs Lamb
“With Congressman Dunn, it was mainly constituent work,” Lamb said. “There are calls coming in to let us know about various issues they’re concerned about or needing help with federal agencies.”
After completing these two internships, Lamb has realized that he enjoys working in politics.
“There are several things I like about it,” he said. “I think my favorite thing is that you meet a lot of people from diverse backgrounds – business, law, political science, medicine, media. It’s really interesting just talking with these folks and learning what their interest are and what they hope to achieve. It’s also given me a little bit of perspective as to what I might want to do.“
For now, Lamb is considering his next move, whether that might be earning a graduate degree or seeking a more permanent position working in politics. For current TU students, Lamb encourages them not to be afraid to be uncomfortable.
“Use every opportunity that you have given to you,” he said. “Sometimes it might not be apparent. Sometimes you have to work and find out what those opportunities are. Don’t be afraid to stick your foot in the door and be uncomfortable. That’s how you find out what really interests you. Sometimes that’s the only way you can really grow is by pursuing a goal. I think most of the time college students in general really don’t know exactly what they want to do. When you take these classes, really invest in them and try to get everything you can out of them so that you can see what your true interests are.”
