Dillon Schreckler would like to have a political career after he graduates, so he jumped at the chance to meet Speaker of the Missouri House Elijah Haahr ’05 when he visited campus in October 2019. After they talked that day, Rep. Haahr asked Schreckler if he would be interested in serving as an intern for him during the legislative session in the spring. Schreckler jumped at that chance, too.
So once a week, Schreckler traveled to Jefferson City to work in Rep. Haahr’s office in the state capitol. Most of his time was spent observing the lawmakers in session and at meetings.
Schreckler says in his time in Jefferson City, he has seen a lot of bipartisanship in action, and believes the state legislators truly care about the state as a whole, and they don’t care about power. “Legislators see each other as friends and colleagues rather than rivals.”
He also realized that he and Rep. Haahr have a few things in common. Schreckler is a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity, which Rep. Haahr helped bring back to campus when he was a student, and both majored in political science.
Schreckler feels he was lucky to get to work with Rep. Haahr throughout the spring semester. “He is a great mentor. He values his team and wants them to know what is going on.”
Growing up with parents who both work for the federal government, Schreckler says he fell in love with the way government works, and hopes to serve at the state or local level to make an impact.