Anna Pope (OSU)
Sitting in her pre-law freshman seminar course at Oklahoma State University, Speaker of the House Ashley Schultz first heard about Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature (O.I.L.) and after attending a meeting at her now home delegation she decided to join the organization.
Schultz became a member of O.I.L. in the fall of 2018 and developed a genuine passion for it and more importantly, the people who are in it. However, her first time at O.I.L. Schultz said she walked into the hotel lobby where all the delegates were staying, and she had no idea why all the one-star and above members were having these friendly reunions with other members from different schools.
“I never expected to make as many friends from other schools as I have,” Shultz said. “I knew that joining O.I.L. it would be a really cool way to make friends my freshman year, but I never would have expected the friends that I’ve made outside of OSU that have become my best friends, my boyfriend all from other schools…”
One of her favorite aspects of O.I.L. is the community of it and how people who can debate against one another on the house floor can walk away and still be great friends. While the comradery among delegates is the heartbeat of O.I.L. Schultz said one of the main reasons why she joined is her love of politics and aspiration to practice law.
Coming from a family with a long line of teachers, Schultz said she remembers when she was young asking her mom if she had to be a teacher and telling her she wanted to be a lawyer. Schultz said her drive to practice law comes from her interest in the legal system as a whole and while the system can seem concrete to other people, she can see where things can transform through lobbying and voicing your opinion to help turn things for the better.
“Learning that you can make the change, and not just go along with what everything is,” Schultz said. “That you can go and make a change and make your voice heard.”
O.I.L. gives delegates the opportunity to see the state governmental process up-close and this year’s session is virtual. Like past semesters, house leadership’s schedules are different but still filled to the brim with meetings and bills. Schultz said she is up early in the morning to prepare the house and most nights during session she does not get out of meetings until midnight, and at that time everyone usually wants to meet with one another. This turns her already late evening into an even earlier morning.
This session, Schultz ran for and kept her position as Speaker of the House. Schultz said for any delegate who is interested in a leadership position or would like to become a better member in general is to be confident and not be afraid to make a mistake.
“Try everything,” Schultz said. “Go find your niche in the house, and then stick with that and just learn everything about it and just don’t be afraid to try things, it’s okay to mess up. I have done it constantly and I’m here now, and I’m still messing up and that’s OK.”