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Fighting Polarization in Politics
Quinten Lyons ’24 can pinpoint exactly when he became interested in political science.
“I was about to start my high school career and can distinctly remember watching a debate with my grandmother, who had never once mentioned anything political in her life,” said Lyons. “She had some choice words that piqued my interest. I wondered why someone who was so uninterested in politics felt the need to both watch a debate and express an opinion.”
Now, Lyons is a political science graduate with big ambitions. He hopes to one day establish a lobbying firm so that he can pursue legislative, regulatory, and administrative reform on the issues of his choosing. He finds two problems particularly concerning: political polarization and insufficient political literacy among citizens.
According to Lyons, engaging classes led by outstanding educators such as Theodore Masthay, Ph.D., assistant professor, were key to his political development, along with becoming a member of Students for Progress, an organization at DeSales designed to create a safe space for discussing progressive politics with knowledge and humility. The group volunteers on campus and serves the local community.
Lyons’ experience as a policy and strategy intern at Healthsperien, LLC, a healthcare consulting and policy firm, was also impactful.
“Besides realizing that I wanted to work in healthcare policy, my internship allowed me to gain an invaluable understanding of the regulatory, legislative, and administrative processes at both the federal and state level,” he said. “I have also had the opportunity to engage in lobbying activities on Capitol Hill and learn from relevant stakeholders in the healthcare policy space.”
Lyons is looking forward to beginning his political career in the workforce before returning to school to study law.
