Summer internship gives ASU student hands-on experience with US Supreme Court

Arizona State University student Logan Higgins has had a long-standing interest in public policy and politics. So when it came time for the California native to decide where to attend college after high school, ASU’s offerings in those fields made her decision an easy one.

“I knew I was prelaw and I knew I wanted to go to Washington, D.C., at some point, so I was looking for schools that had good programs for that,” Higgins said. “ASU is partnered with the McCain Institute, and I knew they would have good opportunities for what I wanted to do, and that was the deciding factor.”

Based in Washington, D.C., the McCain Institute at ASU offers policy research, events, student internships and other activities meant to support American global leadership. The program’s goal is to advance democracy and human rights, combat issues such as targeted violence and human trafficking, and empower character-driven leaders.

While Higgins busied herself with attending events and seminars offered by the McCain Institute, an internship offered through the School of Politics and Global Studies gave her the opportunity to put what she was learning to use at the public information office of the U.S. Supreme Court this summer. The Capital Scholars Program allows students to gain valuable skills and hands-on work experience at government agencies and network with professionals from a number of fields.

“I saw the program on social media and I looked it up and thought why not just apply. … It’s definitely something I would want to do,” Higgins said.

After applying to the program, she was delighted to receive several callbacks for interviews as she advanced throughout the application process, and she was eventually offered an internship with the U.S. Supreme Court.

Higgins said that sharing any type of experience can be helpful in an interview.

“Experience can be the number-one thing internships look for, but it doesn’t matter where your experience comes from. It is what you’re able to do with it. I worked at a fast food chain and that’s what I talked about for these interviews,” she said. “I talked about customer service, I talked about working with a diverse group of people, and they were impressed and mentioned that those skills were great for this type of position.”

In her role at the public information office, Higgins served as a liaison between the U.S. Supreme Court and the press, and assisted with distributing court statements and decisions.

Now about to enter her third year at ASU, the Barrett, The Honors College student is double majoring in political science at the School of Politics and Global Studies and family and human development at the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics. This fall, she will serve as a learning assistant for The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as well as a community assistant.

“I’ve always wanted to be a district attorney, but now with this internship and my majors, I am more open to what might happen and whatever I fall in love with," she said.