We are pleased to announce four Political Science students were selected to participate in the upcoming B.C. Legislative Intern program.
The competitive program offers new alumni the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in the provincial parliamentary system and contribute to the functioning of the executive and legislative branches.
Congratulations to Henry, Anabella, Priscilla and Alexandra! We wish you the best on this exciting new journey.
Henry Waatainen
Henry is a student in the Honours Political Science and History Major programs at UBC.
After graduating from high school in Nanaimo, BC, and completing UBC’s Arts One program, he moved to Vancouver in September 2021, at the start of his second year of university.
Since then, Henry has had a keen academic interest in the politics and history of Canada and has gained practical experience in the fields of strategic communications consulting and local archival research.
In 2023, Henry was awarded the William G. Black Memorial Prize by UBC’s Department of History for his essay on Canadian citizenship and, during the 2023-2024 Winter Session, he worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant for the Department of Political Science, helping instruct two sections of Political Science 101: The Government of Canada.
After he graduates in May 2025 and completes his term as a legislative intern, Henry would like to work in the BC Public Service before enrolling in a Master of Arts degree program.
Anabella McElroy
Anabella’s goal has always been to work as a public servant following her political science degree. She was happily sidetracked for a couple years as a student journalist at The Ubyssey, but applied to the Legislative Internship Program to discover what it means to work in government.
Anabella looks forward to the unique nature of the program, particularly the opportunity to work in a ministry and a political caucus, in addition to some educational projects and travel.
She is particularly excited for the ministry placement and is hoping to work in the Ministry of Citizen’s services to improve access to information for British Columbians. Anabella looks forward to meeting the rest of her cohort!
Priscilla Ng
Priscilla recently graduated with a major in Political Science and a minor in International Relations. She most enjoyed classes on US and Canadian politics, particularly when learning about topics such as the Supreme Court, gender-based violence prevention legislation, and Canada’s foreign relations.
Outside of the classroom, Priscilla has lobbied the government as a representative for students during her time working for UBC student union, done research under the BC Council for International Cooperation, as well as volunteered for the National Eczema Society of Canada; all rewarding experiences which led her to this internship.
After enjoying her experience lobbying the government in Victoria, Priscilla is excited to get a taste of what it might be like to pursue a career in the field of political science. She looks forward to the range of hands-on work experiences and placements.
Upon completion of this internship program, Priscilla will be returning to UBC for law school at Allard.
Alexandra Bailey
Alexandra (Alex) is about to embark on her final term as an undergraduate student as a Political Science major, with a minor in Sociology.
She was born and raised in England and moved to UBC for university. She cherished UBC and the chance to live in Vancouver and decided to complete the final term of her degree abroad at the National University of Singapore.
Alex found out about the internship while working for the AMS. In the External Affairs Office, Alex was able to go to the provincial legislature and lobby the provincial government for student needs. Speaking directly with Ministers and MLAs inspired her to pursue her next step in provincial politics.
She is excited to take the first big step in her career journey and she is looking forward to every single part of the job description — whether the Ministry placement, the caucus placement, the constituency placement or getting to witness Question Period every day, she is excited to experience how the province is run through hands-on learning.
After completing the internship, Alex will be returning to UBC for the Masters component of the B+MM program at UBC’s Sauder School of Business.
