Tanner Scurto

FROM INTERN TO LEGISLATIVE AIDE

For many CU Denver students, finding internships and jobs can be difficult. For Political Science major and Communication minor Tanner Scurto, his internship at the Denver Capitol has turned into a full-time job.

“What college kid would not want to get paid to do what they have been doing before?”

—Tanner Scurto

CU Denver | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Last fall, Scurto started working at the Denver Capitol as an intern for state Rep. Daniel Pabon in the House of Representatives. He found this internship through both networking and the Experience Learning Center at CU Denver.

The internship was going well for him but it never had a set ending date. “One day I asked when this internship was expected to end and Rep. Pabon answered ‘Ideally, never,’” Scurto said. “He asked me if I wanted to be his legislative aide, and it was a paid position. What college kid would not want to get paid to do what they have been doing before?”

Working at the Denver Capitol is a five-day-a-week job. Scurto commutes from Castle Rock by train to arrive in the morning. Once he gets to the office, his daily routine then begins. “Being a legislative aide requires a lot organization,” Scurto said. “When I get to the office, I take messages, I prepare his bills for the day, and plan his calendar. I organize his desk on the floor in the House chambers, and I also organize all the interns. Now that I am the legislative aide, I am the second-in-command.”

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Scurto works until five at the Denver Capitol. On Tuesday and Thursday he works until one to make it to his afternoon classes. He is finishing his final semester of classes by taking his last six credits. He is planning on graduating this May.

When Scurto is not working at the Denver Capitol or in school, he holds yet another part-time job. On the weekends he works as a server at Red Robin. His weeks are packed but he does not seem to mind the hard work.

After graduation, Scurto hopes to pursue working in the political science field, but just in a different branch. “The legislative branch is the legal branch, and I would have to go to law school,” Scurto said. “You have to have a law degree to write and plan law. I am not sure if that is the path I want to go down. I see myself being more of an executive branch kind of guy.”

—Morgan Mackey

photo: Korina Rojo • CU Denver Sentry