Meet the interns behind this year's legislative session.
Every winter, we have the pleasure of welcoming two interns onto our legislative team, who work alongside HEAL Utah staff to support our civic engagement and environmental policy efforts. Our interns collaborate closely and bring new perspectives and ideas to our team. We are grateful for their hard work and thank them for ensuring our legislative efforts run smoothly.
Here is a bit about this year’s interns and their amazing work.
Meet Lauren Swidnicki
Lauren Swidnicki (She/her) grew up in Salt Lake City and recently graduated from the University of Utah with a double major in Environmental Sustainability and Gender Studies—Go UTES!
During Lauren’s undergrad, she interned with the Hinckley Institute and was a campus ambassador for the U.S. Peace Corps. In 2022 Lauren interned at the Utah State Legislature and went on to work with a local campaign.
In her free time, Lauren enjoys Utah’s beautiful mountains with loved ones, and if she’s not skiing or hiking, you can find her baking or reading!
Meet Mariah Trujillo
Mariah Trujillo (They/she) grew up in Salt Lake City and is currently in the last semester of their undergraduate education at Westminster College, where they will receive a BA in Environmental Studies with a minor in Justice Studies.
During Mariah’s undergrad, they have been involved with the Dumke Center for Civic Engagement, where they developed their passion for community organizing and outreach.
In Mariah’s free time, they enjoy reading books (memoirs are their favorites!), watching movies, listening to music, going on walks, adding to their jewelry collection, learning about bats, and drinking tea!
How they supported our team.
During the legislative session, our team hosts two weekly lobbying trainings to help individuals learn about the legislative process and connect with their lawmakers on important environmental legislation. These trainings take anywhere from 1-2 hours and have an attendance of 10-15 individuals per session.
Our legislative interns supported our team by ensuring every community lobbyist knew who represented them on the hill and ensured that they had the necessary information to speak on specific environmental policies.
Mariah and Lauren also led and organized four days on the hill events with great success bringing together individuals for Student Day, Women’s Day, Southern Utah, and Rural Utah Days on the Hill.
Thank you!
We want to thank both Lauren and Mariah for their amazing work. We can’t wait to see what exciting projects they will be a part of in the near future!