For Liam Pogue-Hartwig, a junior majoring in international strategy and security at Cal Poly Maritime Academy, the next chapter is a congressional internship with the Panetta Institute for Public Policy. Founded by Leon and Sylvia Panetta, the Institute offers students opportunities to explore government, public policy and politics.

Through its internship program, a select group of California State University students gains firsthand experience in the legislative process by working in congressional offices in the nation’s capital.

“People think the International Strategy and Security major means you are interested in security, politics, research, or some combination of those areas,” Pogue-Hartwig said. “What makes this program different is that you can do whatever you want.

“I knew I wanted to go into politics, but I did not know what area of policy I wanted to focus on. Did I want to focus on maritime issues, cybersecurity, defense or the Navy? What interested me?”

His experience at the Panetta Institute is helping him find those answers.

Pogue-Hartwig first learned about the opportunity while studying abroad in Birmingham, England, during the 2025–26 academic year.

“I received an email from Associate Professor and Department Chair Dr. Ryan Wade that essentially boiled down to, ‘You should do this. You are a strong candidate," he said.

As the winter holidays approached, Pogue-Hartwig balanced the application process with classes and a new perspective on politics abroad.

“One class I took focused on corruption, which was really fun for me because I was the only American in the room,” he said.

After completing the application requirements, he continued his year in England. As he prepared to return home in June, he learned that he had been interviewed and then selected for one of the Panetta Institute’s highly sought-after internships.

“I started a two-week onboarding program in Monterey in August,” Pogue-Hartwig said. “It included a speaker series, classroom time and an introduction to what was in store once we arrived in Washington, D.C. The Institute’s internship coordinator sent our resumes and application packages for consideration, and I was selected to work in the office of California’s 18th Congressional District, represented by Zoe Lofgren.”

When he returns home in November, Pogue-Hartwig will have several weeks to complete a policy paper due in December. His research will focus on cargo preference policies and the nation’s shipbuilding capacity.

“Entering this experience, I wanted to learn more about the maritime industry’s perspective and what is being done to address its current state,” he said. “I want to focus my policy paper on cargo preferences and our country’s capacity for shipbuilding.”

The internship has also given Pogue-Hartwig an up-close view of how Congress operates.

“Congress is this multi-headed beast that is constantly working, even if it is spinning its wheels in the mud,” he said. “People here are doing good work, but sometimes that is how everything works. I know that that seems very rough to people who are not in the loop.

“I’ve written a couple of things, like memos and summaries, and I found it interesting, but wondered if it would ever reach the floor.”

The experience reinforced the importance of civic engagement for Pogue-Hartwig.

“People really need to call their members of Congress,” he said. “Participation does not have to be big, but it has to be there; please participate.”