For Abby Myers, her final semester at Texas State University is taking her far beyond San Marcos to Washington, D.C., where she is gaining firsthand experience and representing the university she calls home.
A psychology senior, Myers is no stranger to politics. She served as TXST’s student body president during the 2025-26 academic year and is now gaining a new perspective on public service as an intern on Capitol Hill.
Myers is interning at the office of U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin through TXST’s Center for Research, Public Policy and Training (CRPPT). The Texas State University System established the Chancellor’s U.S. Capitol Internship Program to provide TXST students the unique opportunity to serve as Congressional and public policy interns in Washington, D.C. Myers decided to apply after visiting an internship fair on campus.
“I felt like I had kind of hit a ceiling in a sense of what I could do on campus in terms of advocacy and improving the lives of my fellow students,” Myers said. “So, hearing about this internship, I thought, there's now an open arena to get to do more or to see what advocacy looks like outside of that local level or even state level.”
Her responsibilities include supporting the congressional office, communicating with constituents, attending policy briefings, and conducting research. As the semester progresses, she is taking on additional responsibilities in policy analysis and research.
Though more than 1,300 miles separate her from San Marcos, Myers said she keeps TXST and her fellow Bobcats in mind as she learns how policy decisions affect communities back home.
“When conversations happen about higher education policy and things like that, there's a piece in the back of my mind that's thinking, ‘How will this affect Texas State?’” Myers said. “What can I take home from this to understand on a broader scale how it's going to impact us?”
Beyond the day-to-day responsibilities, Myers is using her time in Washington to explore potential career paths and learn from people with diverse professional backgrounds.
“It is a place I think there's a lot of people who have had different life paths that can help me understand where I want to go,” she said.
The experience has also strengthened her confidence as she prepares for life after college, giving her an opportunity to apply the skills she developed at TXST in a professional setting.
“It just kind of gives me that self-assurance that my time in college really gave me the tools and the resources to be successful in the workplace,” Myers said.
Even while building a life in a new city, Myers remains connected to her Bobcat community. She is among several TXST students completing internships in Washington, D.C. She said having fellow Bobcats nearby reinforces the purpose behind their experience.
“It is to be a Texas State student in Washington, D.C., not to be just a student in Washington, D.C.,” Myers said. “We are representing our university at a larger scale.”