This summer, I was part of Governor Northam’s first class of Governor’s Fellows since he took office in January 2018. I was assigned under the Secretary of Natural Resources and worked with the Secretary and Deputy Secretaries on various projects, including one regarding coastal resiliency.
Throughout the program we had daily brown bag lunches with key figures in Governor Northam’s Cabinet. It was an opportunity to learn about the responsibilities of each department, the agencies they oversee, to soak in as much information as we could about their journey from where they started to where they are now.
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| Jevontè Blount '18 (right) with Governor Ralph Northam. Jack Mayer photograph. |
Towards the end of the program the Fellows had a policy project competition. This took five major problems impacting the Commonwealth and the United States and we had to find a feasible solution. My group was given the topic of rising student debt crisis. We won!
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| Jevontè Blount '18 (far right) with his policy project competition teammates. Jack Mayer photograph. |
About Jevontè Blount ’18:
Jevontè Blount ’18 was a 2018 Governor’s Fellow, one of only 22 rising college seniors, graduating seniors, or graduate students from across the state named to the prestigious program by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. Blount, from Hampton, Virginia, graduated from Ferrum College this past May with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. During his tenure at Ferrum College, he was in the Ferrum College Honor Society, on the Dean’s list, and served as Ferrum College Residence Hall Association president. Blount now in studying in the Master in Public Administration program at Virginia Commonwealth University.
About the Governor's Fellows Program:
(https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/all-releases/2018/february/headline-822716-en.html)
"Governor Chuck Robb created this prestigious program in 1982. Since then, it has offered college students a hands-on opportunity to learn about state government at the top level. Previous members have gone on to pursue careers in various levels of state and federal government, each using their skills acquired during their Fellows experience.
Fellows are given the opportunity to cultivate and sharpen leadership skills by taking on various tasks and projects. The Fellows also learn from special guest speakers from the administration and take field trips across the Commonwealth."
"Governor Chuck Robb created this prestigious program in 1982. Since then, it has offered college students a hands-on opportunity to learn about state government at the top level. Previous members have gone on to pursue careers in various levels of state and federal government, each using their skills acquired during their Fellows experience.
Fellows are given the opportunity to cultivate and sharpen leadership skills by taking on various tasks and projects. The Fellows also learn from special guest speakers from the administration and take field trips across the Commonwealth."
