 Emily Neal Internship just part of Goochlander’s plan Political science student aspires to high office
“I want to be Speaker of the House of Representatives,” declared Emily Neal last week. By age 40, if possible, she added. This summer the rising junior at Virginia Tech is interning at the office of Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell, where she works in the Special Counsel Division, which handles work by outside attorneys. The attorney general’s office has about 30 interns, said Neal, mostly law students. Neal is one of a handful of undergraduates. “She’s a really bright young woman with a great future,” said Assistant Attorney General Courtney Malveaux, who is Special Counsel Manager. “She’ll be an asset to any organization she joins.” Neal is majoring in political science at Tech, with a concentration in legal studies. She also plans to complete two minors, in psychology and in urban affairs and planning. After that, hopefully law school. Why speaker of the house? “Because that’s where the power is,” she answered. Neal has been a political animal since she was a pre-teen, thanks to her father, Goochland Planning Commission member Bill Neal. “I’ve been working at the polls since I was five. Dad asked me if I wanted to help. I was standing by the road holding up a sign on Election Day,” she recalled. Later she worked as a page in the House of Delegates, where she met McDonnell, the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2009 governor’s election. “He was one of my favorites, along with Bill Janis and Ryan McDougle,” said Neal. “He [McDonnell] will make a good governor,” said Neal. Neal’s last day at the attorney general’s office is Aug. 8, and then it’s back to Tech for the fall semester. In the spring she plans to study abroad at the University of Helsinki in Finland. All her classes will be in English, but she’s still trying to learn as much of the language as she can. Political junkie that she is, Neal has some thoughts on the fall elections. Barack Obama? “I think people will become disenchanted with him and see through his rock-star attitude,” said Neal, who called Obama’s recent speech in Berlin, Germany “a political stunt.” John McCain? The lesser of two evils, according to Neal. “He’s better than Obama, but not by much,” she declared. Fred Thompson was her preferred candidate. Neal said she hopes to join the Goochland Republican Committee before she returns to school in the fall. That’s part of the plan. Her first step will be local politics. Maybe a run for Bill Janis’s seat in the House of Delegates should he move on to bigger and better things. Then the House of Representatives. Then the speaker’s gavel. Nancy Pelosi, look out. (0) Comments • Email This Article |
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