When presented with the opportunity to earn college credit while doing work he's passionate about, University of Washington senior Russell Wiita did not hesitate. He applied for GÇô and received GÇô an internship through the Washington State Legislative Internship Program.
Since arriving in Olympia at the start of the session in January, the 20-year-old Sultan native has been working for 39th District Reps. Elizabeth Scott and Dan Kristiansen and 15th District Rep. Dave Taylor from Yakima, along with each representative's legislative aide (LA). He works from 8 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and is available to work additional hours as needed.
Lending a legislative hand
As an intern, Wiita is responsible for a vast array of work, including legislative research, bill tracking, scheduling, correspondence with constituents and attending committee hearings and legislative meetings.
"I'm doing everything I love, and I'm getting school credit for it,GÇ¥ Wiita said. "It's just awesome.GÇ¥
Bill tracking involves following different pieces of legislation as they advance through the legislative channels. New bills may be heard in multiple committees before ever being brought to the floor for a vote, and it's Wiita's job to keep track of where things are in the process. Scott and Taylor both sponsor bills, so Wiita works with their LA's to ensure that all committee hearings get added to their schedules.
"For my office, he has been doing research on policy, manning the phones if Ashley is on another assignment and meeting with activists when I am double-booked,GÇ¥ Scott said. "It is great to have a Sultan neighbor helping in the office, because he understands the district and the issues and concerns we face every day.GÇ¥
Scott recalled a day when Wiita was asked to cover for her legislative aide, Ashley Stokesbary, who was out due to illness. What they thought would be a calm day, exploded in a flurry of activity when Scott's Daylight Savings Time bill unexpectedly sparked the interest of numerous media outlets. Scott explained that, with so many bills focused on big-ticket items like gun and property rights, the whirlwind over her legislation to eliminate Daylight Savings Time was completely unanticipated.
All day, the phone rang with requests for radio and television station interviews.
"This little bill, for some reason, touched a nerve,GÇ¥ Scott said. "You just never know what a day in Olympia will look like, but Russell rolled with the punches very well and we just laughed all day.GÇ¥
Combined, Scott and Taylor are the primary sponsors on 44 separate pieces of legislation, and co-sponsor on many others. Wiita performs bill tracking for Kristiansen as well, but it's typically at a broader level, since Kristiansen doesn't currently sponsor legislation.
"For Representative Kristiansen, the bill tracking that I do for him is on specific issues, since he's minority leader and doesn't sit on committees,GÇ¥ Wiita said.
Being an odd-numbered year, the 105-day legislative session will outlast winter quarter, which is over at the end of March. Because of this, Wiita decided for forego spring quarter in order to stay in Olympia and finish out the session, which will conclude at the end of April.
He will graduate with a Bachelor's degree in political science this fall.
A lifetime of politics
A lifelong Sky Valley resident, Wiita grew up in the Sultan area, where he expects to return after he graduates. His grandfather, Jerry Labish, owns River's End Cattle Ranch, which is nestled in between the Skykomish River and Fern Bluff Road, near Sultan. One of his greatest role models, his grandfather gave Wiita his initial glimpse into the world of politics when he was in the seventh grade.
As the president of the Snohomish County Cattlemen's Association, Labish has long been accustomed to traveling to Olympia to chat with legislators about issues related to farming. On this particular occasion, he asked Wiita to accompany him.
Wiita recalls meeting with Kristiansen and then-Rep. Kirk Pearson during that trip.
"I've still got the pictures,GÇ¥ Wiita said. "That's when I was like, half the height of Representative Kristiansen GÇô now we're the same height.GÇ¥
As he got older, Wiita's interest in politics grew, and during his sophomore year at Sultan High School, he successfully applied for the position of Sultan City Council student representative. He served on the council during his junior year, in addition to serving as class president. He also served on the Sky Valley Teen Court; a program founded by former VOA Director Dave Wood meant to funnel low-level nuisance offenders away from traditional criminal justice system pathways.
Wood, who passed away in 2011, was another significant influence in Wiita's life.
Being involved in student government and in the teen court motivated Wiita to take a proactive and innovative approach to his position as the student representative. He advocated for Sultan's youth, and informed younger members of the community how to have their voices heard. He conducted a survey to find out what types of issues the youth wanted to see addressed, compiled the results and gave a presentation to the city council.
As a result of his efforts, the city responded to some of the issues.
"That was really cool to see that democracy-in-action sort of thing happen,GÇ¥ Wiita said.
Wiita hoped to capitalize on his successes as student representative by applying for the position again for the 2011 - 2012 school year GÇô his senior year at Sultan High GÇô but to his surprise and dismay, Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick denied him the opportunity for an interview. While assuring him that he had done a great job on the council, she told him that she wanted to introduce the opportunity to other students.
"She said, "I want to take your experience here and go do something better with it, so that we can open this up for other people,'GÇ¥ Wiita recalled.
She then introduced an addendum to the city's student representative ordinance that instituted a policy that a student could not hold the position for more than one year.
"I actually got up during public testimony and said I don't agree with it,GÇ¥ Wiita said. "It was just sort of funny because it was one of the only things Mayor Eslick and I have ever disagreed on.GÇ¥
Broadened outreach
However disconcerting it may have been for Wiita at the time, it appears Eslick's instincts were accurate. Wiita was able to take his experience and broaden his level of outreach to the community in a way that has had lasting impact. When approached by the president of the National Honors Society (NHS), Wiita agreed to tackle a challenging fundraising initiative to bring the anti-bullying campaign, Rachel's Challenge, to the high school.
The NHS needed $3,500 to bring the program to Sultan, and it needed to be accomplished in a relatively short period of time. With the help of Sultan Grants and Economic Development Coordinator Donna Murphy, Wiita developed a strategy and independently raised the funds after school and during his lunch breaks. This was in addition to taking college courses, playing in the marching band and serving as class president.
"I did that from the beginning of December until the beginning of March,Gǥ Wiita said. "It was just a really rewarding experience you know, to go out into the community and sort of see how people come together.GǪ I couldn't have done it without Donna's help.Gǥ
Wiita established different levels of sponsorship and visited local businesses, school clubs and other organizations. He ended up surpassing the $3,500 mark.
He also continued using his voice and influence. After the Sultan Boys & Girls Club burned down on Christmas Eve 2010, Wiita joined Eslick's Blue Ribbon Committee and encouraged more than 50 students to write letters to state legislators on behalf of a grant that otherwise may have been eliminated from the budget.
Wiita said that his experience as student representative enabled his later successes.
"If it hadn't been for that, I wouldn't have thought to do the Rachel's Challenge thing,GÇ¥ Wiita said. "That really just opened a lot of doors and experiences for me.GÇ¥
A bright future ahead
When he began attending college in fall 2012, Wiita got involved in the Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW) right away and took a seat on the student senate. He spent time lobbying on behalf of UW students in Olympia, advocating for quality education-áand other items of student concern. He also served on the ASUW student debt-reduction working group, a task force created to examine the current financial aid model and to work toward achieving affordable tuition.
Wiita recalled a trip to Olympia during which he visited Scott, explaining to her that students need more affordable tuition. She asked him to define affordable tuition.
"I sat in her office and stared at her,GÇ¥ Wiita said. He realized then that they didn't actually know what affordable tuition was GÇô they just knew that they wanted the cost to go down. "That's one of the things that really drove us to come up with this definition of affordability.GÇ¥
In his capacity on the debt reduction group, Wiita helped to pen the "Meet us in the MiddleGÇ¥ report, which gives a tangible definition of affordable tuition.
Those who know Wiita see a bright future ahead.
"Russell is a natural leader and a brilliant strategist. He is exciting to work with, because he brings out the very best in everybody on his team,GÇ¥ said Sultan resident Elizabeth Emmons. "I look forward to watching his political career - he is going to do great things at a local and national level. He's got my vote.GÇ¥
In addition to being friends, Emmons and Wiita worked together on Eslick's Snohomish County executive campaign.
"He is an effective politician because, in addition to seeing the big picture, he tackles conflict with humor, warmth and a tenacious desire for resolution,GÇ¥ Emmons said. "This skill will open doors, cross party lines and will generally create a productive atmosphere in whatever arena he's working in.GÇ¥
Eslick said that, for Wiita, the possibilities are endless.
"Russell is an amazing young man with aggressive career plans,GÇ¥ she said. "He will be a senator at a very young age.GÇ¥
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