Jack Zhang, a 2017 graduate of Warren Hills Regional High School and currently a student at Montclair State University, has aspirations of someday working as a governmental official.

This spring and summer, he’s getting a better understanding of what’s involved as an intern at the office of Assemblyman John DiMaio. DiMaio represents the 23rd District, covering parts of Warren, Hunterdon and Somerset Counties. Zhang lives in Washington Township, which is part of DiMaio’s district.

The 19-year old first met the Assemblyman last year after Zhang, his advisor, and several of his classmates at Warren Hills helped to get April designated as Genocide Awareness Month by the state legislature.

Zhang had expressed an interest in interning with DiMaio then. Earlier this year he contacted the Assemblyman about that opportunity and DiMaio readily said yes.

“It was clear when I first met Jack that he was smart and driven,” said DiMaio. “In just a few weeks interning with us he’s proven to be very capable and quick to pick up on the nuances of governmental activities.”

As an intern, Zhang has been researching bills, speaking with constituents, and providing support for any number of functions in the office.  He has also spent time in Trenton at a voting session and expects to participate in other related activities during the course of the summer.

For Zhang, it’s all about gaining knowledge in a career he’s very interested in.

“I wanted to gain experience in policy making and legislation,” said the Political Science Major (Minor in Economics). “Starting at the state-level gives me the chance to see how things work here. At some point, I hope to see how things work at the federal level.”

Over the past month Zhang got a close-up view of the state budget process as there is typically a flood of requests from different organizations to legislators about funding for the upcoming year, particularly at DiMaio’s office as he is the Republican Budget Officer.

Zhang isn’t exactly sure what direction his career will take, but he is sure that working as an intern in an Assemblyman’s office will help him in the long run.

“From this internship, I hope the experience will help me land a job at a government or economic firm as an advisor or a lobbyist some day,” said Zhang, who works at his family- run restaurant on weekends and enjoys traveling. “After my job as an advisor or lobbyist, I hope I can run for a congressional seat (either in the House or in the Senate) in the future and help the American people. Maybe, I’ll get a leadership position in one of the chambers. Who knows?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” said DiMaio. “Jack seems determined, that’s for sure.”