It happens the moment students step off the bus in Albany, a moment that changes everything. Working at the state capitol is no longer a distant dream, but a reality. Immersed in the flow of the government building, students begin learning what it means to show up, speak up, and contribute in a professional space. Somewhere between the routine and the responsibility, something shifts. Students no longer see themselves as just interns following in someone’s shadow, but as real participants in a world they only ever heard about in theory.
This experience is guided by Mary Catherine Clifford, J.D., a Lecturer in the School of Business who has been part of the Farmingdale State College community since 2012. Professor Clifford teaches Business Law and Business Organization Law and created the College’s Employment Law course in 2013. Beyond the classroom, she serves as the FSC Campus Liaison for the New York State Senate and Assembly Internship Programs, a role that allows her to work closely with students both before and during their time in Albany.
Every fall, Professor Clifford works alongside students as they go through the application process. When students are accepted and start packing their bags, Clifford remains their mentor. Throughout the semester, she helps students adjust to the new professional expectations and life changes that come along with the internship.
“I want students to feel that they absolutely can do this,” she says. This carries through everything she does, shaping how she teaches, mentors, and supports students beyond the classroom.
What students experience during their time in Albany is less like an internship and more like a full immersion in adult life. Their days take on a new cadence, shaped by early mornings, commutes to the state capitol, and full workdays in government offices. For many students, it’s also their first time living on their own. As time goes on, they start to see themselves differently. They no longer feel like they are just visitors to the capitol but contributors to the professional world inside it.
Clifford describes the semester as a “holding your breath” type of moment, aware of just how much this internship asks of students and how transformative it can be. It’s a leap that asks students to trust themselves before they know what they’re capable of, but when students return more confident, more certain, and proud of what they have accomplished, the impact is undeniable.
When students return to campus, they speak differently about their time in Albany. What once sounded tentative is now grounded in experience. Some discover themselves on entirely new paths they had never considered, going on to law school or accepting full-time positions within the New York State Senate. But no matter where their paths lead, students find themselves ready to handle whatever comes after they walk across that stage at commencement.
Moments like these reaffirm Clifford’s belief in the power of education.
“Education makes dreams possible.”