Percy Arthur didn’t have a clue who Carl Heastie was, even though the Speaker of the New York State Assembly lived only seven blocks from his home in the Bronx.

As a senior Criminology major, working for the FBI or CIA intrigued him far more than working in the political arena. Arthur never imagined he’d be spending his final semester at St. Bonaventure University in Albany — not until a campus email last fall finally piqued his curiosity.

“I didn't know any anything about this internship. I was just lying in bed one day, and I happened to read the Notice Board and saw the posting. When I saw it again on the third day, I thought that maybe I should go talk to my adviser about it,” said Arthur, who has also interned with the Cattaraugus County Department of Social Services.

“The only conflict I saw was sacrificing my last semester on campus, but by the end of the day I realized, if this has the potential to help me, then why not do it? I’m the kind of person who’s open to new ideas and just keeping my options open.”

Arthur submitted an essay expressing his interest in the 15-credit internship and, with the help of Tom Buttafarro, the university’s director of Government and Community Relations, and Dr. Mary Rose Kubal, Department of Political Science internship coordinator, Arthur was off to the state capital.

The New York State Assembly Intern Committee sponsors the Session Internship. The program offers college students a chance to participate in state government and the legislative process through a well-structured learning experience. In addition to daily legislative work, interns are assigned research and administrative responsibilities in an Assembly office.

Arthur interned with more than 140 New York college students, none of whom knew their assigned Assemblymember when they gathered shortly after arrival in Albany. As the Speaker of the Assembly, Heastie addressed the students, inquiring if anyone was from his Bronx legislative district. Arthur raised his hand.

But not until the interns were handed envelopes with the names of their Assembly assignment inside did Arthur know he’d be working for Heastie.

“He’s genuinely a great guy, and so humble. He doesn’t even allow me to call him Mr. Speaker,” Arthur said with a smile. “‘Please, call me by my name. I’m Carl.’ I had a hard time doing it at first. He’d walk in first thing in the morning, and I’d say, ‘Good morning, Mr. Speaker,’ and he’d just say, ‘Don’t do that.’”

The semester-long experience has been “tremendous,” Arthur said.

“A few months ago, I didn’t picture myself being in a position of high importance like this,” he said. “Through this internship, I’ve been able to experience what an average workday is like for the Assembly members and the Speaker.”

Heastie was clearly impressed with the work Arthur did for him this spring. The Assembly Speaker hired him, upon graduation, to work full time in his Manhattan office.

“On a scale from 1 to 10, my excitement ranked a 10 when Assemblyman Heastie offered me the job,” Arthur said. “It’s the start of not only a big chapter in my life but a new one as well.”

SBU students interested in the spring 2025 Session Internship can contact Buttafarro, university liaison to the Assembly internship program, at tbuttafa@cnof86.com, or Kubal at mkubal@cnof86.com.

Students do not need to be political science majors or New York state residents.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #6 for value and #14 for innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).