By Journalist Kennedy Thomason (OSU)
Zero star AJ Rodriguez is eager to be here.
The Representative from Oral Roberts University is enjoying his time at session. The competitive and collaborative environment is encouraging for a new delegate.
“It’s a lot of fun, honestly,” Rep. Rodriguez said. “I feel very comfortable.”
He is quickly adapting to the pace of session. The zero star has been highly involved in the processes of the House.
“I love running around and talking to everyone,” Rep. Rodriguez said. “Plus, everyone here is just so nice.”
Rep. Rodriguez said that the House has been a hectic environment. It can often be overwhelming for a zero star, but Rep. Rodriguez has accepted the challenge.
“First of all, we really do hit the ground running in the House,” Rep. Rodriguez said.
His delegation invited him to join OIL. Upon learning about his OIL delegation, Rep. Rodriguez accepted the invitation.
“It was basically an interest in policy,” Rep. Rodriguez said. “At my school, we have a bunch of different organizations that like, go out and compete. And really they kind of dragged me in here because I’m a Poli Sci major. I like to argue anyways, so they thought I’d be a good fit, and it was just a really cool opportunity. It’s just a really fun thing to do.”
The choice to join OIL was not far-fetched for Rep. Rodriguez, as he has previous experience working with legislation.
“I actually worked on Capitol Hill,” Rep. Rodriguez said. “This last summer I was a staff assistant for Congressman Ben Klein in DC, so that was a lot of fun to just go out there and experience legislation. I actually wrote some legislation that he snuck in to one of their bills. So I helped write a section of it.”
Rep. Rodriguez brought a bill concerning gun legislation, which he is excited to present.
“I only brought one bill, that one bill being a gun legislation,” Rep. Rodriguez said. “It’s gonna get debated heatedly, I assume. But I’m really open to amending and that’s what I really wanted. I wanted to represent the body’s feeling about gun legislation.”
He has loved his experience so far, and is excited to gain his first star.