From roughly 500 applications, only 30 college students and recent graduates from the Commonwealth of Virginia are accepted into the Governor’s Fellows Program each year. This summer, two Randolph-Macon students are part of this prestigious cohort, spending eight weeks learning and working in the Governor’s administration.

Meg Hemphill ’27 and Quentin Mankin ’27 have been engaged deeply in the work of state government, each embedded in a secretariat that aligns with their interests and career goals. Hemphill is a Political Science and Business (Finance) double major and has worked in the office of the Secretary of Finance. Mankin, a Political Science and Communication Studies double major, was drawn to work in Veterans and Defense Affairs as the son of a veteran mother and an active-duty father.

Building on a previous internship in the office of Mark Warner, the U.S. Senator from Virginia, Hemphill found this summer’s work lets her flex the knowledge from her Business courses too.

“I’m in the best of both worlds right now,” Hemphill said. “We’re touching so many different aspects of government, meeting so many more people, and learning about each of these different agencies and secretariats, because they all need funding for something.”

Working in the Finance secretariat was particularly interesting this summer as the General Assembly and Governor worked down to the wire to pass a state budget. Hemphill conducted research to help prepare Secretary of Finance Mark Sickles for Senate committee hearings and broke down agency priorities for a presentation to the Governor.

Mankin similarly came to the Governor’s Fellows Program with internship experience; he did communications work for the Richmond Kickers and Richmond Ivy soccer teams last summer, and a January Term internship at lobbying firm David Bailey Associates.

Veterans and Defense Affairs is a relatively small secretariat, but one with a big impact, with oversight over the Department of Veterans Services and the Virginia National Guard. In addition to research and writing, Mankin has been making site visits and gaining a broader point of view.

“I’ve had a good idea from the veteran perspective, but I’m looking at it now from the government perspective,” Mankin said of the functions of the secretariat, like providing benefits through Veterans Services. “Balancing taking care of veterans but also keeping the state running and being financially responsible. I think that’s a very valuable contrast that I’m seeing.”

Both RMC Governor’s Fellows pointed to the interconnectedness of state government and, in a time of division and gridlock at the federal level, the value of collaboration that they’ve witnessed firsthand. 

“I don’t think anything in the Patrick Henry Building happens in a silo,” Mankin added. “Helping veterans is a healthcare thing, it’s a finance thing, it’s a labor thing, getting them jobs is an education thing, and it’s all so interconnected.”

Hemphill came to the same conclusion while doing analysis to support a Prison Education Task Force, which spanned across the administration.

“That was a bill that was passed a couple months ago, in April, and it put the Secretary of Finance as the chair,” Hemphill explained. “But the task force is a combination of all sorts of people, from the Secretary of Education to the Secretary of Commerce and Trade; all sorts of different agencies are a part of it.”

The Yellow Jackets are making connections of their own as well. One of the most valuable parts of the experience for Governor’s Fellows is the networking opportunities with state officials (up to and including the Governor), former Fellows that now work in and around state government, and even RMC alumni around the capital.

“The selection process is extremely competitive, because Governor’s Fellows work directly with the Governor’s Cabinet Secretaries and senior staff,” explained Dr. Lauren Bell, the James L. Miller Professor of Political Science, who has served as a mentor to RMC’s Governors Fellows. “The fact that RMC regularly has students selected to participate in the program is a testament to the caliber of our students and the strong foundation that a Randolph-Macon education provides.” 

“We have brown bag lunches with all the different secretaries and different cabinet members,” Mankin said. “Really getting to sit down and pick their brain and just learn about their experiences.”

“Everyone’s wanting us to learn more. I’ve had a bunch of people reach out to come show me what they do in their office,” Hemphill added.

While their exact post-graduation plans are undecided as they enter their final academic year at RMC, the Governor’s Fellows Program has energized both Hemphill and Mankin for the career possibilities in front of them, while giving them the tools to make a positive difference in their communities.

“Every day is something new. I love working with the other fellows, the other secretariats, and just being in the room where it happens is such a cool opportunity,” Hemphill added.