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Medina in the Capitol

Marshalltown native gaining valuable experience

T-R PHOTO BY ADAM SODDERS Marshalltown’s Isaac Medina, a University of Iowa student and intern with the state House Democrats at the Capitol, said he enjoys seeing representative democracy at work every day. His job involves working with media such as photos and videos, promoting the House Democrats’ agenda and doing legislative research.

DES MOINES — From Marshalltown to the State Capitol Building, Isaac Medina is ready for whatever comes his way in life, and is gaining skills to be successful.

“My education isn’t gearing me toward a specific job, it’s more of me trying to get different skills, that way I can do a lot of things,” said the University of Iowa history and political science student.

Medina is spending his spring 2017 semester working as an intern with the state House of Representatives at the State Capitol Building. In the fall he is set to complete his coursework and graduate.

“I work for the minority caucus staff, a lot of things I do involve producing media, whether that be video or photos,” he said of working with House Democrats. “Say a constituent visits with his or her representative, or advocacy groups come to the Capitol, we want to document that.”

He said photos or videos are used to show constituents throughout the state exactly what their elected officials are saying and what groups they’re meeting with.

Medina also works to promote the House Democrats’ agenda and does legislative research projects in his role in Des Moines. He said he’s becoming familiar with how things are run in the legislature.

“You work a lot with the clerks, so you get a hang of the clerk system,” Medina said. “The part that interests me is the political science part.”

Specifically, he said he enjoys seeing “the machine” of a representative democracy at work with various committees and subcommittees in the House.

“It’s not too much about politics … but just the learning process of that machine and being able to witness those democratic processes in realtime is fascinating,” he said.

Medina was born in Davenport and raised by Mexican immigrants. He said his family moved to Marshalltown in 1999 and started a business. His parents are the owners of El Portal Mexican Restaurant.

“My parents are immigrants, they came here in the late 1970s looking for better opportunities (and) a better environment to raise their kids,” Medina said. “Marshalltown and central Iowa have been good to the Medinas.”

He said his parents’ background in Mexican culture, which values hard work, faith and family, matched perfectly Iowa’s culture.

“I always say I’m lucky to be Iowan,” Medina said.

Medina said his interest in politics began during the 2008 election cycle, when he was in middle school. However, it was in the 2012 cycle that he became truly involved.

“For me what sparked that inner flame was the 2012 election,” he said, adding he was able to make a connection in the community with state Rep. Mark Smith. “In 2014 when I caucused with the Marshall County Democrats, it was a more formal introduction to Rep. Smith.”

He then took a position on the county Democrats platform committee and campaigned for then-U.S. Senate candidate U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley. His interest in politics and history followed him into college.

“I knew going into the University of Iowa that I first wanted to major in history … then I decided that a political science major would go hand-in-hand,” the soon-to-be graduate said.

Looking to life after graduation, Medina said he can’t predict exactly what’s next for him, but he’s confident he will continue to gain skills for success. Right now, he is set to go to law school in the fall of 2018.

“Clerking would be an option,” he said, adding his experience and networking at the Capitol could help him get such a position working with a state senator or representative.

Medina also said he may become an attorney, perhaps with a focus in immigration law.

The former Marshalltown Bobcat did not rule out possibly running for elected office in the future, though he said it would greatly depend on the circumstances if he were to consider such a move.

“I would hope that if I ever did decide to run, that it would be not for myself, but because I felt people needed to be represented justly,” he said, adding Latinos are often underrepresented in many levels of politics across the state.

“The Latino population in the state is young and it’s growing, and it lacks representation,” he said. “Hopefully in the future that will change, but it’s going to take young people; it’s not just about you, it’s about your community and your state.”

He said he enjoys the “behind-the-scenes” aspect of politics, adding running for office can often affect one’s personal life.

“There’s a lot of digging into personal things,” he said.

Additionally, Medina said he plans to stay involved in politics, and will continue to campaign and canvass for candidates he feels reflect his values and will help communities in the state and nation.

Regardless of what path he chooses, Medina said he plans to stay in the state he loves. He said many young people dream of living in a high-rise apartment in a big city like New York or Los Angeles, but he feels he can do a good by the community right here.

“I would stay in Iowa,” he said. “I know that’s a little weird to some people my age … but like I said, Iowa has treated me well, and that’s just the person that I am.”

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