Josec Galindo grew up in South Carolina, but moved to Chicago in time to attend high school at Schurz High School. Once he graduated, he headed to Truman College knowing it was an affordable way to attend college.
Always interested in how government works, Josec decided to study political science. Even though most subjects gave him anxiety, often causing his grades to suffer, he never felt that way about political science – including the public speaking and debating that came with many of his classes.
“Politics have always been interesting to me and it was always so much fun to debate,” he said.
Working part-time in customer service for an airline company, Josec was only able to attend Truman part-time. But his interest in finding a job or internship that would help get him established in the field led him to ask his political science professor, Kelly O’Malley, for advice.
“I went to Professor Kelly O’Malley for help because I wanted to do something that was productive, and that would help me in my future – and was something that I could put on my resume.”
O’Malley would send him links to websites and internship opportunities, and one day, she sent him one that really caught his eye: an application for a congressional internship with U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
“Professor O’Malley told me that the internship was very competitive, but that there was nothing wrong with filling out the application and trying,” said Josec. “A month later, I got an interview.”
Now getting set to start his semester-long internship in January 2019, Josec will be working in Duckworth’s local office taking calls from constituents, answering emails, and filing paperwork.
“I really appreciate the guidance that Professor O’Malley has given me. I don’t know if I would even have applied for the internship if it weren’t for her.”
Still a few semesters away from earning his associate degree from Truman College, Josec would like to transfer to get his bachelor’s degree and has a long-term goal of going to law school.