ALBANY – Assemblyman Brian Manktelow (R,C,I,Ref – Lyons) would like to introduce his intern for the 2020 Legislative Session. Wilson Tejeda will be working with the Assemblyman from Albany.

“I feel very fortunate to have Wilson on board and working in the Albany office,” Manktelow said about Tejeda, who is studying Public Affairs at Baruch College in New York City. “He brings a wealth of experience in military service and public service.”

Tejeda is a northern New Jersey native. He joined the Army when he was 20 as an artillery radar operator. He served seven years, three of them in Afghanistan.

“I didn’t truly understand the impact (military service) would have on me, and I think that anyone who has served can agree that the military is an incredibly personal and unique experience,” Tejeda said. “Joining the military was an invaluable time in my life, revealing my discipline and work ethic, as well as opening a path to new frontiers, and for that I am eternally grateful.”

He did his basic training at Fort Sill, Okla. and was stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska for three years and then was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011.

“We partnered with the local police to engage with the local communities and secure the roads from IEDs, Tejeda said. “After that deployment, I was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, where I spent the rest of my military service with the 1^st Cavalry Division. He said a rotation to South Korea was a remarkable experience for him. As a sergeant, he was in charged of training his team for the challenge of being just miles away from hostile forces.

Tejeda said his military experienced heavily influenced his decision to go back to school. “I struggled academically in high school and graduated nearly at the bottom of my class. However, during my service I realized the importance of going back to school and, the value of what a college degree could do for my future,” he said. “I wanted to take many of the values and skills acquired during my military service and continue public service, but this time in a diplomatic capacity.”

After he graduates, he would like a career with the United Nations or as a Foreign Service officer. He sought the internship to gain new and practical knowledge and build lifetime professional and personal connections and appreciates the opportunity to work with Assemblyman Manktelow.

“Although I am still in the early stages of the internship, I have a great relationship with him, and he has shown great confidence in me.” Tejeda said. “I have been lucky enough to be on the Assembly floor with him and sit in on conferences. The assemblyman and his legislative director, Jennifer Drowne, have taught me a lot in a short time.”

Assemblyman Manktelow said that Tejeda is an appropriate fit for the office given his background as a veteran; Manktelow is also an Army veteran and makes veterans’ issues a priority.

“I think we’re going to get a lot accomplished,” Manktelow said.

The Assembly Session Internship is a comprehensive academic program which gives qualified undergraduate and graduate students the chance to work in the New York State Assembly. The program is not just for political science majors. For more information, go to https://nyassembly.gov/internship/