Jacob Wright interned with the Utah Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel (OLRGC). He was a research assistant with the tax team (i.e., a team of three analysts and two attorneys responsible for researching and analyzing all tax-related issues raised in the Legislature’s Revenue and Taxation Committee, and in the Utah Tax Review Commission).  During his internship, he presented a report that he had written on cigarette and tobacco products taxes to the Utah Tax Review Commission, which is composed of senators, representatives, and other notable citizens. He also was able to attend a private meeting in the office of the Speaker of the House between the Speaker of the House, the chairman of the Utah Tax Review Commission, and an OLRGC policy analyst in which the hot-button issue of extending the sales tax to personal services was discussed. It was a fascinating glimpse of the inner workings of government.
His MPA experience provided him with a set of tools that he used day in and day out; tools that students from other universities do not possess. Specifically, his thorough knowledge of Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel proved invaluable. Additionally, the critical thinking skills and legislative-bill reading skills he learned in Dr. Arbon’s class enabled him to hit the ground running.
His internship helped him make up his mind to build a career working with a legislature.