Hager (OSU)
Meet your Head Freshman Liaison, Jade Ailey-Thompson! She has been in OIL for as long as she can remember. She joined OIL in spring of 2019 and she has been a Freshman Liaison, Head Freshman Liaison for four semesters, and she has been Deputy Secretary of State. She has also been a chair of committees and a committee on rules. Her favorite part about OIL is meeting new people. Ailey-Thompson stated that, “Meeting people with new perspectives from all across the state is amazing because most of the friends I have today I have met in OIL and they are outside my delegation.” According to Ailey-Thompson, legislation or mock-government is not her forte, she is a pre-nursing major! When I asked our Head Freshman Liaison what advice she has for zero and one stars, she said, “use your freshman liaisons! They are there, they are resources to answer any questions you may have.” She said to ask questions. “Session can be overwhelming, so you’re not gonna understand everything so ask questions”, said Ailey-Thomspon. She also said to apply for leadership positions since you can do it as a zero star. Last year they had a zero star as a chairperson of committees! This shows there are plenty of opportunities for zero and one stars. Applying helps you learn more about the organization, how it runs, and gives you an opportunity to grow and move up within the organization faster, according to Ailey-Thompson. She also recommends talking to people outside of your delegation and venturing out to learn new things. Ailey-Thompson’s most memorable moment was in fall 2019 when they threw out a Governor for speaking when the Speaker was talking. The Speaker of the House ordered the Sergeant of Arms to throw him out! She said it was pretty fun and memorable.