Don’t be surprised if Prescott Jefferson is running long after his track and field days are over. South Carolina’s junior sprinter recently enjoyed a summer internship at the Governor’s office, and while he aspires to become a lawyer, he wouldn’t rule out running for public office someday.
“Ten years from now, I could possibly see myself in a public office role,” said Jefferson, who is majoring in criminal justice and hopes to go to law school at South Carolina as well. He interned in the Legislative Policy and Budget Affairs office under Director of Legislative Affairs Sym Singh. “It depends on what else I’m doing at the time and the circumstances at the time. If anything, this internship made me more interested in politics. Before I got the job, I had always told myself that I didn’t want anything to do with anything politically oriented. Seeing how hard our legislators work was a fantastic experience.
“I felt very fortunate to be able to work at the Governor’s office. Not everybody gets to do that. I don’t take that for granted, and I’m very thankful to everyone I had a chance to work with.”
More than anything, Jefferson enjoyed seeing governmental processes in action for the betterment of the community.
“I wasn’t just in the Legislative office,” Jefferson said. “I worked at the front desk, talking with constituents who walked up and had questions. I set up for bill signings and got to see some of those bill signings. It’s really fun! I was there when they signed the fentanyl trafficking bill. That was a big one. Hearing from some of the families that were impacted by that, and how grateful they were to have that bill passed, it definitely opens your eyes. I didn’t realize how much of that is out there. The boater safety bill was another huge one as well.
“I went to different legislative meetings, including meetings about the spending budget. So, I got to see how a lot of that worked. The Order of the Palmetto ceremony was a great thing as well. There were a lot of South Carolina graduates there, so we had the chance to talk about sports a lot, too!”
The Columbia native became interested in the law after a trip to the Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office when he was in high school and has expressed interest in becoming a civil rights attorney.
“Every voice deserves to be heard,” Jefferson said. “That’s another thing I’m passionate about.”
Now that school is back in session,…