Out of Her Shell and Into the World: Claudia Maldonado’s ISU Story

Claudia Maldonado, a first-generation ISU graduate from Blackfoot, Idaho, shares how mentorship, internships, and unexpected opportunities helped her find a new career path beyond law.

Claudia Maldonado graduated from Idaho State University (ISU) in 2021 with a BA/BS in Political Science and Global Affairs. A first-generation college student from Blackfoot, Idaho, Maldonado’s journey to and through ISU was shaped by personal determination and by the professors and mentors who rallied around her every step of the way.

Maldonado remembers the comfort she felt when ISU professors visited her high school. That early exposure gave her confidence and a clearer sense of what to expect in college. Once on campus, she found a close-knit, supportive community that helped her thrive.

Maldonado feels that interacting with professors  and advisors made a huge difference to her life. “I was really lucky because I was able to make some really good connections and people were very supportive of me,” she says. “A community rallied around me, the professors and my advisors rallied around me a lot.”

Maldonado was actively involved in work, research, and extracurriculars during her time as a student. She worked as a research assistant for more than four years and served as Vice President of the Political Science Club. She was also an active member of the International Affairs Council and helped organize the Frank Church Symposium, one of the university’s signature events on global politics and diplomacy.

As a Career Path Intern, Maldonado gained hands-on experience through multiple on- and off-campus internships. But balancing academics, extracurriculars, and internships proved to be challenging.

“I took on a little too much, and that got me in trouble, just because I would get stressed,” Maldonado shared. “Getting to know yourself a little bit and realizing you don’t have to do everything all at once, that’s important. Just think about your capacity.”

Her ISU professors played a key role in helping her manage those challenges.

“In my experience, when professors knew I was stressed out, they’d talk to me and say, ‘Maybe this extra research project is a little too much right now. Maybe we hold off on it.’ The professors were really great.”

Maldonado’s college experience reached a turning point when she earned a competitive internship with the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C., an opportunity she almost didn’t pursue.

“A week or two before I applied, someone was talking about those internships, and I remember thinking, ‘Oh, that’s really cool, but I’ll never do that. There’s no way I’m going to get that internship,’” she recalled. “Then an opportunity came up. My advisor said, ‘Hey, I think you should apply.’ It was a quick turnaround, and I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare. I thought, ‘We’ll just see what happens,’ and I was fortunate enough to get it.”

The experience was intense and transformative, and Maldonado says she was lucky to be surrounded by good people. “Right from the get-go, I was very intimidated, to say the least. I don’t remember where everyone was from, but there were people from Harvard and other big schools. And I was like, ‘I’m from Blackfoot, Idaho. I don’t really know how I got here.’”

Although Maldonado had previously lived abroad in Costa Rica, the pace and pressure of life in the nation’s capital were unlike anything she had experienced before. The Congressional internship not only honed her research and communication skills but also made her reconsider her future.

“I was that kid who said, ‘I’m going to law school. I’m going to be a lawyer,’” she said. “Then I did an internship in DC and was able to use communication and research skills and the connections I made at ISU. It’s been great.”

While the internship helped her grow professionally, it also sparked an unexpected shift in her goals. “It was a bit of a struggle, and panic,” Maldonado admitted. “I’d been planning to be an attorney all these years, and I suddenly didn’t want to be one.”

Instead, she pursued a Critical Language Scholarship in Korean and explored other options, including graduate school and entering the workforce. At a crossroads, she received a well-timed email from ISU College of Arts and Letters Dean, Dr. Kandi Turley-Ames about a job opening in Pocatello, and it turned out to be the right fit.

Maldonado credits ISU’s strong mentorship culture and her engagement in extracurriculars for opening doors throughout her journey.

“The extracurriculars were a big boost in my application when I applied for jobs and internships,” she said. “I remember when I got my job, my boss had a meeting with all the new hires. He said, ‘I remember reading your resume, and one of the things that stood out to me was that you had interned in Washington, DC, with the Relations Committee.’ That definitely opened a lot of doors for me. And it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t had people who were willing to mentor me.”

Reflecting on her ISU experience, Maldonado emphasized how valuable it was to build relationships with faculty.

“I worked with a lot of professors and having that one-on-one time with them to ask all the questions I didn’t ask in class because I was too shy or embarrassed, really helped. I wouldn’t say I’m an extrovert, but it definitely brought me out of my shell a little bit. I'm still pretty shy.”

Her advice to current students? Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help.

“I think that would be one piece of advice: communicate with your professors and advisors.”

About our contributors:

Rudo Chigweshe, an international student from Zimbabwe, is pursuing a Ph.D. in English and the Teaching of English at Idaho State University. Prior to entering the program, she earned a master’s degree in Communication, Media, and Persuasion from ISU in May 2020. Her academic focus centers on gender studies and the concept of militant motherhood in African literature.

Suparna Sinha is a PhD Student and Graduate Teaching Assistant at Idaho State University. She is an international student from India, and is currently in her fifth semester of study. Her areas of interest include Postcolonial Eco-Feminist Literature and Dalit Literature. She has presented in international conferences like the DEI in Education conference held at ISU, the54th and 55th NeMLA Conventions, the WLA 2023, and the IGC conferences in 2023 and 2024. Her hobbies include solving cryptic puzzles, writing articles on positivity in her blog, and knitting.