Political Science Major Merges Classroom Learning with Real-World Experience

By Stephanie Godward, Communications and Marketing Director, College of Arts & Sciences 

For University of Louisville political science major Elia Trocan, classroom lessons are coming to life through hands-on experience in Kentucky state government.  

Now in her third year at UofL, Trocan is interning with the Kentucky Senate Majority Communications team—after previously completing an internship with Rep. Timmy Truett in the Kentucky House of Representatives.  

“I am thankful for all the work Dr. Jasmine Farrier has put into the Frankfort Legislative Internship and for connecting me to that world,” Trocan said. “I immediately respected Rep. Truitt. In addition to being a hardworking legislator, he's also a principal in his own town.” 

Thinking ahead to post-graduate studies, Trocan, an honors student and Trustees scholar, is considering attending law school. She said her time in the legislature has given her a deeper appreciation for how government works. 

“I came to understand a fraction of what legislators do on the daily,” Trocan said. “Watching sessions and committee meetings intrigued me and I wanted to go back and get the Senate side.  I am actively learning the importance of communications within government and how that's so essential to the American democratic process. We need to know what's going on in order to vote well; in order to be good citizens of Kentucky, of the US.” 

In addition to her legislative experience, Trocan stays active in the community through volunteering and works as a private piano teacher. 

“I’m grateful to have had many experiences outside of college that have enriched my time as an undergrad. Being a piano teacher, I love seeing that area of my life intersects with a music history class this semester. I'm learning about musicians who were the grand masters of some of the very concepts I’m teaching my students,” she states. 

Trocan’s commitment to service extends beyond the state of Kentucky. Two summers ago, she traveled to Southeast Asia for an internship with her church, where she taught English to refugee women from the persecuted Rohingya people. 

“That experience shattered my world in the best ways,” Trocan said. “I came to call many of those women friends; I think they taught me more than I taught them.  Coming back to the political science department that fall and taking Latin American politics with Political Science Professor Dr. Julie Bunck, our discussions surrounding displaced peoples, refugees, and the legal complexities surrounding those topics meant so much more to me.” 

That global experience continued to inform her learning when she took International Negotiation with Political Science Professor Dr. Michael Fowler, connecting firsthand experience with classroom theory. 

“As the class tackled topics such as international borders and resolving disputes between ethnic groups, concepts that could have just been terms on a page really came alive for me because of those outside experiences,” Trocan said. 

Her advice to fellow students: 

“I’m a strong believer that for an experience in college to be meaningful, you need to care about it, so my biggest piece of advice would be don't just do it for the resume. Look for things that you would genuinely be interested in that would actually spark your interest, that would kind of light a fire and pursue those things.”