Cecelia Escobar is a senior majoring in Latina/Latino studies and political science. During summer 2026, she interned with the Illinois Department of Labor as an outreach intern through the Michael Curry Summer Internship Program. Learn more about her experience in the blog post below.
This summer, I worked as an outreach intern for the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) through the Michael Curry Summer Internship Program. The Illinois Department of Labor is an agency under the Office of the Governor that works to protect the wages, welfare, working conditions, and safety of Illinois workers by enforcing state labor and employment laws alongside helping employers to ensure they are compliant with and knowledgeable of the existing requirements. The Michael Curry Summer Internship program places Illinois resident college juniors, seniors, and graduate students in agencies under the Office of the Governor to work full-time for 10 weeks during the summer.
As an outreach intern, I contributed to IDOL’s summer newsletter and the annual Labor Day Report and got the chance to develop four short videos for the department’s social media accounts sharing about the department’s resources. Additionally, I was able to attend a variety of outreach events, tabling with my supervisor and getting to give information to the public on a more individual level.
From my time at IDOL, I learned a lot about Illinois labor laws and the general workings of state government. There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes, and I was able to learn a lot about the efforts being taken to make sure people are not only aware of their rights but also able to access the resources available to them when they are not being treated properly.
I plan to pursue more opportunities working within Illinois State government in the future if possible! This upcoming year, I will continue working as the Student Outreach and Media Coordinator for the Department of Latina/Latino Studies, and as a Program Assistant for the Honors Living-Learning Community in ISR. Additionally, I will be completing my senior honors thesis through LLS.
By Cecelia Escobar