Caption: Lina Belaissaoui poses on her balcony in Boulder, Colorado for the headshot she used in her internship application. Photo courtesy of Lina Belaissaoui.

By Jayden Fortner

Lina Belaissaoui walks down the hall at a quickened pace; her next meeting is seconds away. She grips her notes closer to her chest as she makes it to the next room and slides into her seat just before the people in suits begin to speak. Today, Belaissaoui will be talking to them about legislation for people with disabilities.

“I definitely do feel a little intimidated because these are people who are government officials and have been working in this job,” said Belaissaoui.

A University of Colorado sophomore, Belaissaoui has an internship as the executive governor’s assistant for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. This is on top of her duties on CU Boulder’s student government and her pursuit of a double major in political science and speech, language, and hearing sciences.

Her internship involves discussions with the governor about legislation being introduced in the House regarding disability advocacy. This includes deciding whether the right people are working on the topic and whether their methods are effective.

“I really wanted to work for disability advocacy, and this internship was a really good way to do that,” said Belaissaoui.

She commutes twice a week to the governor’s office to attend meetings and learn how advocacy policies transition into law.

“I think people really, especially when it comes to legislation, see the black and white,” said Belaissaoui. “These are the words on paper, but I think people don’t realize that like every comma matters and every word matters.”

Belaissaoui starts by taking part in the process of creating laws by participating in discussions on how the current administration is helping individuals with disabilities and how they are represented. She then helps with the policy revision and enactment process.

“There are a million people that have to look over it before it can be introduced to the public and be introduced to the rest of the House to vote on,” said Belaissaoui.

It was difficult for Belaissaoui to secure the internship. She was rejected when she first applied during her freshman year. Still, she continued to pursue her desire to advocate for people with disabilities in new ways, such as serving as the disability liaison for CU’s student government.

Eventually, Belaissaoui secured the position on her third attempt.

“Don’t take no as a forever no,” said Belaissaoui.

The news may have felt discouraging at first, but when she earned the internship, she said it felt surprising yet well-deserved.

Stacey Bui was Belaissaoui’s teacher’s assistant who found the internship opportunity and shared it with her class.

Bui describes Belaissaoui as someone who always participated in class and would come to her optional office hours to ask questions and learn more about topics, always taking the initiative to understand and connect with the curriculum.

“It’s the students who really do take the extra step to further engage with the material that stands out,” said Bui.

Although conversations at the Capitol must remain confidential, the policy they create has an impact that follows Belaissaoui back to Boulder. She has been actively integrating her internship learning into how she better advocates for the disability community on her campus.

Camden Sharkely, a senior and student body president at CU Boulder, has worked with Belaissaoui for the last two years. Sharkely has seen firsthand how Belaissaoui approaches disability advocacy.

“She is a passionate and caring person with what she decides to invest her time in,” said Sharkely.

She is currently working with the CU Boulder campus and CU Student Government to secure closed captioning in classrooms and improve campus transportation for disabled students.

Belaissaoui always keeps an open mind to ensure that the needs of students with disabilities are met at each meeting, while also taking care not to impose on them.

During January through May, legislative sessions at the Capitol are at their peak. However, Belaissaoui continues to walk confidently as she turns her goals into an initiative.

“She takes full advantage of it to, like, really get to know all the different sides of lawmaking and policy,” said Bui.

As the session continues to hurtle forward, it keeps teaching and guiding Belaissaoui. Her peers and mentors all watch as she creates real-world impact, excels academically, and takes on an inspirational role for herself, the Colorado community and her campus.

“It’s not just bill writing, it’s not just sitting around, but there’s a lot of meetings and purpose behind everything that’s being done,” said Belaissaoui.