Student Completes Prestigious Internship
by Karen Clos
(Above) De’Ionte Jones was selected for a prestigious internship in Washington, D.C.
Temple resident, veteran, and recent Texas A&M University–Central Texas graduate, De’Ionte Jones, 28, came very close to scrolling right past an email that quite literally contained an offer that was exactly the long-shot opportunity that he had been waiting for.
A student in the university’s undergraduate political science program, Jones admits that he was more than a little distracted at the time. As both a full-time student and a full-time employee as a housing manager in Temple, he was already doing some heavy-duty life balancing. Work and school, he noted. School and work. Repeat.
“I had never written in my collegiate career as much as I did for Dr. Dixon and Dr. Kohler,” he admitted reservedly. “They pushed me harder than anyone had ever pushed me as a scholar. They wanted their students to explore things deeply, not just on the surface. They wanted through lines and connections.”
That, he says, inspired him. Showed him that he could measure up. And yes. As an undergraduate student, but more – as an undergraduate student learning to do graduate level analysis in a field that he loved and a purpose he sought to fulfill.
“I won’t say that it was easy,” he added. “But I was determined to keep showing up and keep giving it my all. My everything. Because if they were that invested in me, I wanted to show them that I was returning that tenfold.”
Giving it his all was not just something his professors expected of him or what he expected of himself. It was, he says, what he was seeing from his professors – both of whom had long-established careers in research and teaching – and who routinely went above and beyond to nurture his academic achievement both inside the classroom and out.
An Email Offered Opportunity
“I had received the email about the PPSP internship offered through the Texas A&M University System Academic Affairs Office, and as much as I hate to admit it, I almost overlooked it because it seemed too good to be true,” Jones explained.
“But once I read it and understood it for the huge opportunity it was, I couldn’t get it off my mind. So, I met with Dr. Kohler, I told him about it, and he encouraged me to apply.”
Jones may have wondered about his competitive edge, but Professor John Kohler, Ph.D., encouraged him, reminding him that the benefits far outweighed any reservations Jones may have had about the competitive nature of the program. Kohler knew, based on their many conversations, that Jones was thinking about a career in public service and politics. And this was just what the doctor ordered: a semester-long program in Washington, D.C., a chance to be where things happened, where mentors were as plentiful as the cherry blossoms in spring. So – fingers crossed – he did it.
Two weeks or so went by before he heard from PPSP officials, and this time, Jones said, he was being offered an interview. It was, he continued, like a string of small miracles that illuminated each significant step without yet revealing the outcome.
“So, when it was time for the interview, I had planned everything and reserved one of the quiet rooms in the university library,” he explained. “Only when I arrived, there was a sign saying that they were closed because of some water damage.”
University librarians are well-known for going above and beyond, smiled Dean of the University Library, Bridgit McCafferty. Which, she added ironically, made it difficult for her to say exactly who was there when Jones needed help. But there, indeed, she was. Unlocking the second-floor information literacy classroom without a second thought. An additional and unexpected last minute save that Jones still remembers to this day.
“First, I had all the support I could have ever asked for from my professors as we were navigating the internship application process and all of the documents required for that. And then, even when I least expected it … when I hit a bump that could have jeopardized all the work we had done, it was a library receptionist who saved the day.”
The Calm Before the … Interview
There, in his suit and a wide window view looking out onto the university campus, he said, he was filled with a calm persistence that was beginning to reveal itself. Originally by his own will, but continuously and generously nourished by his experiences, his upbringing, and his professors, he took a breath and logged in.
The interview, he said, included an eight-person panel linked via a teams call. It would be two weeks before he would know that he had been admitted and July when he was offered the internship.
“There were actually two offers for available slots,” he said. “One was with U.S. Senator John Cornyn’s office, and the second was with the House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology, and that was the one I chose.
“I was beyond excited when I said yes,” he added, explaining that the chance to witness firsthand what working on the hill was like and how the legislative process functioned was everything he could have imagined.
Working the Internship
In his time there, he says, each day surpassed the last. He staffed the preparations for the House Committee meetings, assisted with preparation for hearings, legislative markups, or meetings, researched specific topics, and composed research summaries for various subcommittees – all the while remaining keenly attentive to dialogue among and between the members and staff. The very connections and throughlines that he had been encouraged to take note of in his coursework was now evident in his day-to-day life.
He was there as a student, too, he said, describing the courses he took from the Bush School of Government and Public Service and Instructional Associate Professor, Anneliese Reinemeyer, Ph.D. and so many others as “thoroughly captivating and inspiring.” Once again, he said, he was working with interns from other universities with different interests, noting the way that their disciplinary backgrounds were often an asset, demonstrating just how complex legislative work really was. What mattered most, he said, is that even though they often thought differently, they each made meaningful contributions that were welcomed.
There is something about that city, he thinks. The District of Columbia as it lives and breathes. He has photos of himself holding the exterior white marble banister above the second-floor roof area of the Capital Building Rotunda Places he had once only imagined he would see. And people, he says – including the astronauts from Expedition 72.
“It is one thing to crave an opportunity like this and then to get it,” Jones said. “In 16 weeks, I went from someone who was simply searching for a relevant career that would match my desire to really help people, to finding a clear goal of working in public policy, now aiming for a place there.”
This internship opened doors for me in a way that I would never have been able to do myself, and the whole experience showed me how to walk through them and take bold steps into my own future.”
The Next Steps
Just last week, Jones received his degree with honors at the university’s December 2025 Commencement, and he is already thinking about his next steps. Today, he says, he feels destined to do more than he had originally thought with his career.
“Throughout my life, people who knew me the best would always tell me that they saw something distinctive in me. Which was sometimes hard for me to see in myself. Like, in a million years, I would never have seen myself having the opportunity and the experiences that the Texas A&M University System made possible, so I am always going to be grateful for their belief in me when I might have wondered how far I could go,” he confessed.
Returned to Central Texas from a successful internship complete, Jones added one more accomplishment, receiving his undergraduate degree magna cum laude at the December 2025 Commencement.
“I would not have been able to accomplish any of this,” he said. “Without God, my family, the support of my friends and peers, and my professors.
“During my time in D.C. I realized that the sky truly is the limit, and that’s the thing about a big dream coming true,” he said in a moment of reflection. “I realized that the sky truly is the limit. I learned that by working hard, applying myself, and staying a lifelong learner, I could achieve my goals and more.”
Students interested in the PPIP can find more information at https://www.tamus.edu/academic/student-success/ppsp-application/
