Students visit Virginia Capitol building
Professor Aaron Van Allen from the Helms School of Government led a class trip for his public policy students to the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia, on Feb. 5. Students were able to tour the Capitol, hear from different members of the House of
Delegates and be introduced in the Gallery by Delegate Wendell S. Walker of Lynchburg, Virginia.
A Liberty alumnus and legislative aid to Walker, Jack Collins approached Van Allen on making this first-time trip possible for current students.
“Delegate Walker’s office was instrumental in bringing up this opportunity and working in conjunction with our office with the Helms School of Government,” Van Allen said.
Photo provided | Gov. Glen Youngkin spoke to students about his goals for Virginia
Students were able to tour the building and learn about the history of the Commonwealth and Virginia politics. The class was introduced during the House of Delegates proceeding.
The trip allowed students to meet several Liberty alumni working in the Capitol Square and hear from Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera and Secretary of Administration Lyn McDermid.
Youngkin discussed his goals for the Commonwealth of Virginia and the direction in which he wants to proceed with his time as governor.
“Taking the practitioner with the theorist and combining them into the two, so that the students get a more well-rounded perspective of the classroom,” Van Allen said. “Our role here is to be a resource to give them that real world experience, so that when they graduate, they are ready to go.”
Photo provided | The trip was made possible by multiple administrators in the Helms School of Government
Van Allen hopes to take many more trips that will educate and provide the classroom with practical experience. His advice to students is to challenge different perspectives and be an ambassador for Christ.
“We’re not going to be politically correct in our classes; we’re just going to be correct,” he said. “We’re not going to dance around the very difficult or tough issues together, but we will act and address those in a matter that is glorifying to the gospel.”
Director of Operations Titus Pettman, Administrative Assistant Lia Tsamoutalidis and Dean Joel Cox made the trip possible for the Politics and Policy students.
Mella is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion