Residents of New Providence, Mountainside Intern for Sen. Tom Kean

Sen. Tom Kean, R-21, recently honored interns who volunteered in his Westfield legislative office this past year.

All participants received a citation signed by the legislator acknowledging their hard work and dedication on behalf of the constituents of District 21.

“We are so fortunate to have so many enthusiastic, intelligent young people eager to help out the residents of District 21 while learning about their state government,” Kean said. “It is my hope that by interning in my office, these students gained a deeper understanding of the inner workings of government and the political process that they would not gain elsewhere.”

The senator noted that the purpose of the internship program is to assist students in gaining a better understanding of the legislative process while cultivating their interest in governmental service.

“Many of our interns have shown prior interest in government by taking relevant classes in school or summer programs," Kean said. "They show a remarkable familiarity with the issues, and yet are always eager to learn more."

The interns were an exceptional group of students that were more than willing to undertake any assignment given to them.

“I truly admire the work ethic and motivation shown by every one of our interns," he added. "We are fortunate to have such a large group of intelligent young people volunteering their time to work in our busy legislative office."

Ben Colandrea, of New Providence, who is entering his sophomore year at Fairleigh Dickinson University, had this to say about his experience: “As an intern for Sen. Kean, I was able to broaden my understanding of politics in New Jersey while exercising my written and oral communications skills, which is exactly what I set out to accomplish. I am grateful to Sen. Kean for this experience.”

Nick Palmer, also of New Providence, who will be a senior at Delbarton High School, interned last summer and returned for the summer of 2012. “Working with Sen. Kean was a great experience," Palmer said. "I learned a lot from him and his staff about the legislative process and politics. I’m glad I was a member of his team again this summer."

Frank Caratzola, of Basking Ridge, a senior at Hobart College, said interning convinced him to pursue a career in politics. “Working with Sen. Kean has been a truly wonderful experience that has enhanced my deep interest in politics and confirmed my decision to pursue a political career,” he said.

The youngest member of this summer’s intern team, Dylan Camche, of Livingston, entering his sophomore year at Livingston High School, had this to say: “After several years of participating on the campaign trail, I was able to experience the government part of politics with Sen. Kean. Being able to be on this end of the spectrum enhanced my understanding of the political realm, as I handled constituent correspondence, legislative research and assisted in special projects. My experience with the Senator and his staff has opened my eyes even wider in looking at what I desire to pursue in my future,” he said.

Resumes of students interested in interning during the summer of 2013 should be emailed to senkean@njleg.org anytime from January 1 to March 1, 2013.

Also interning this year were:

Rebecca Bartolick, of Garwood, a senior at Syracuse University

Brittany Marie Cortinhal, of Westfield, a senior at Penn State University           

Greg Gagliardi, of Mountainside, a senior at Union Catholic High School

Rachel Holtzman, of Westfield, a junior at Westfield High School

Marielle Jurist, of Millburn, a senior at Millburn High School

Devind Kullar, of New Providence, a freshman at University of Virginia

Jeremy Levine, a junior at Fairleigh Dickinson University

Chloe Nouvelle, of Somerset, a senior at The College of New Jersey

Ed Poplovits, of Madison, a senior at University of Scranton

Daniel Savickas, of Westfield, a junior at Westfield High School

James. S. White Jr., of Warren, a senior at College of the Holy Cross

Kristin Yu, of Basking Ridge, entering her first year at Rutgers Law School