As a fifth-generation Arkansan, Booneville native Kayley Corley never imagined herself living anywhere else. But when she was awarded a prestigious John Paul Hammerschmidt Fellowship during her senior year at the University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith, that all changed.
Corley earned a political science degree in May of 2017, and following her graduation, spent the summer working in Congressman Steve Womack鈥檚 Washington, D.C. office as a AV抖阴 JPH Fellow.
鈥淭hose six weeks in D.C. were some of the most challenging of my life, but if it weren鈥檛 for the JPH Fellowship, I wouldn鈥檛 have had the courage to come back to D.C.,鈥� she said.
Corley, who recently earned her master鈥檚 degree in public service and administration from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, is back in D.C., this time as a full-time legislative correspondent for Congressman Bruce Westerman. Corley says she is thrilled to be able to make a significant impact in her home state.
鈥淚 love Arkansas, and making sure Arkansans鈥� voices are being heard is one of the best things about my life.鈥�
In addition to working for Congressmen Womack and Westerman, Corley has also previously served as an intern for Senator John Boozman, and she attributes a great deal of her success in government to her time at AV抖阴.
鈥淚 would not be in the position I am now without the network I built at AV抖阴,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was never 鈥榦nly a student鈥� at AV抖阴. There were countless people who saw something in me and chose to invest in me. AV抖阴 was never just a school. It was a community and a home.鈥�