Seeing the world from 15,000 feet is nothing new to licensed pilot Tess Robertson ’25, but the up-close view of Virginia government she experienced this past summer was eye-opening.
Her front-row seat in the Office of the Virginia Secretary of Transportation was courtesy of the prestigious Governor’s Fellow Program, which offers rising college seniors, graduating seniors and graduate students from across Virginia an opportunity to gain valuable, firsthand experience working under cabinet secretaries and alongside staff in the governor’s office.
Robertson, who has a pilot’s license and a strong passion for and background in aviation, was assigned to work in the Office of the Secretary of Transportation in Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration. Among her duties were writing op-eds, briefs and letters of support for various transportation-related initiatives. She also attended the annual Virginia Aerospace Council meeting, where she had the opportunity to network with aviation industry professionals.
“The experience was jam-packed full of new experiences and definitely enlightened me as to what executive government is within the state,” she said.
“The experience was jam-packed full of new experiences and definitely enlightened me as to what executive government is within the state.”
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The Williamsburg native said she has always had an interest in politics. She has also done a lot of nonprofit work in aviation as well as court advocacy through her local Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, where she sits on the board of directors.
One of the key takeaways she got from being a Governor’s Fellow was seeing up close how she could fuse her two passions and how government can be useful in addressing problems.
“This showed me a different side of merging business and government that I hadn’t seen before,” Robertson said. “Where you’re directly hitting problems and directing solutions to issues where maybe business isn’t sufficient. I went in kind of cynical about government and left very inspired and very excited.”
“You can be an expert in your field, but you have to know how to work with people.”
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She also learned about lobbying and the importance of personal relationships. “You can be an expert in your field, but you have to know how to work with people,” she said.
The program gave her the opportunity to meet the governor and several cabinet secretaries, as well as the director of the Virginia Department of Aviation, the director of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and the director of the Virginia Space Grant Consortium.
Robertson, a member of the Cormier Honors College who was also Longwood’s 2024 nominee for the highly competitive Harry S. Truman Scholarship, is double majoring in political science (pre-law) and business administration. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in public policy and possibly an MBA. But her experience this past summer may inspire her to return for another stint working in state government after she graduates in May.
At the beginning of the program, Robertson and a cohort of four other fellows were assigned a project: come up with a policy that will help address a problem in Virginia. They chose to focus on workforce development and getting young people interested and involved in aviation. At the end of the program, Robertson and the other fellows presented their plans to the governor’s staff. Their proposal was to use the Virginia community college system to funnel students into a program that would provide hands-on work experience studying, researching and developing advanced air mobility—which is considered the air transportation of the future.
Through her time as a fellow, Robertson said she learned how Virginia is positioned to be a global leader in advanced air mobility. She also has been working to develop an aviation program at Longwood.
Robertson is a graduate of the High School Leaders Program at the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, which fueled her interest in public policy and a life in public service. The fact that she’s considering going back to work in state government, even if temporarily next summer, is one of the goals of the program.
“As soon as you finish, they start setting you up on your career path because they want you to continue working for the state.”
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“I’d say it’s not just the experiences you gain in the fellowship, or even the connections you make there,” she said. “As soon as you finish, they start setting you up on your career path because they want you to continue working for the state.”
Her advice for Longwood students who might be considering applying for the program is to not be intimidated by the application process, which includes a written essay and then an interview. While she had an interest in politics before becoming a fellow, she noted that the program is open to students from all different academic fields.
“It’s really a great opportunity to meet new people, and to learn about yourself and how you work with others,” she said. “And really to learn about Virginia, because we have a lot of unique opportunities, and there’s no better way to learn about them than directly.”
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