Each biennium, UNLV students engage in the legislative process in a variety of ways, including participating in policy development and the bill draft process, advocating for UNLV’s legislative agenda, and serving as legislative interns and externs to assist lawmakers with various duties such as tracking bills, conducting research, and meeting with constituents. The experience takes the classroom to the community, empowering students to have real-world impact on some of Nevada’s most critical issues. The opportunity is open to all UNLV majors, though most participants are political science and law majors.
Each week during the legislative session, we introduce you to one of the many UNLV students engaging in the legislative process during the Session. This week, we are highlighting a student intern from the College of Liberal Arts:
Name:
Yoana Ontiveros
Hometown:
Las Vegas, Nevada
Major:
Political Science with a minor in Gender and Sexualities, graduated in Spring 2022; starting Boyd law school in the Fall
Role in Session:
Legislative Aide to the Senate Majority Office
What excites you most about the legislative session?
What excites me most about this legislative session is witnessing history in action and aiding in a process that only happens every two years in Nevada with Legislators that I help get elected. Coming from campaigns, I helped many of our current legislators become elected and to see them fulfilling their promises and advocating for legislation that would positively impact Nevada brings a full circle of the governmental process. In all, I am so excited to be witnessing so close up the legislative process with legislators who I knocked on thousands of doors and made even more calls for.
What do you hope to learn?
What I hope to learn more of is the process of how an idea becomes a legislation piece. Many of us only learn about legislation once it has passed and goes into effect; however, it is uncommon knowledge to know where these pieces of legislation came about. In addition, I want to learn more on how and why legislation is written the way it is.
How has this legislative session impacted you?
Despite the anxiety I had before starting my position, I would not change the experience for the world. When I first started in early January, I was overwhelmed by the information. However, this experience has brought me so much professional and personal growth. For the first time I moved out, lived in a new city, formed new relationships with people in the field, and got to work on projects that I am passionate about, and overall gained so much knowledge on legislation.