It Starts at State

Jeremiyah Hairston

Jeremiyah Hairston’s journey to a bachelor’s degree in political science has taken him from the football field to Capitol Hill. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native’s athletic enthusiasm and passion has served him well beyond the playing field and into the political arena. During the summer of 2019, he interned in Washington, D.C., at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. 

“I worked in Texas Congressman Al Green’s office, and what stood out to me was that he was a very genuine person,” Jeremiyah said. “It was great being in that office, everyone was so eccentric and into so many different things, which was so different from West Virginia.”

Jeremiyah was able to experience the political system with a curious eye and fine-tooth comb to learn the intricacies within our politics. He noted that the best takeaway from the experience was how important it is for oneself to open their mind to the perspectives and ideas of others - a sentiment he has also experienced here at STATE, as his interest in political science as a career has continued to expand.

“Constitutional Law has been one of my favorite classes, and I thought it was going to be very difficult for me, but I think that is what helped me form a decision on what I wanted to do,” Jeremiyah says. “The constitution and laws are very, very interesting.”

The political internship is simply the latest milestone in Jeremiyah’s STATE journey. He is involved with several activities and organizations across the campus, including Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.; his election as Mr. STATE for 2019-2020; and membership in the school’s chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences, an organization that empowers minorities through opening up learning opportunities.

Equipped with all of this knowledge and experience in hand, Jeremiyah is excited to finish his bachelor’s degree next year and work toward becoming a civil rights lawyer to help the poor and minorities find justice in the legal system.