Tech-Driven Liberal Arts Education Sparks Political Career

When Luke Rydelek entered RIT in 2017, he was interested in both politics and advertising but was unsure what direction to pursue in terms of his career. It wasn’t until halfway through his junior year, after he spent time shadowing professionals at three different advertising agencies, that he began leaning towards a degree in political science, with a minor in communication. Through connections made at RIT, he landed a paid, full-time internship at the Monroe County Legislature Majority Office, where he focused on assisting with public relations activities and conducted research on current laws. “My internship was awesome,” Rydelek said about the experience, which seamlessly blended his two interests into one position. Working closely with legislative assistants gave him the opportunity to hear their experiences and gain valuable insights. 

“The experience I received interacting with the public, learning how to write policy and laws, and conducting real-world research was extremely helpful for when I got hired by the Monroe County Legislature,” Rydelek said. “Seeing behind the scenes how advocacy and law-making worked was eye-opening. The legislative assistants there taught me so much.” 

Today, Rydelek works at the Monroe County Board of Elections, where he helps to develop the election inspector recruitment and training programs. “It’s my responsibility to get the word out that we need inspectors to help run our elections in a bipartisan and fair manner,” he said.

Rydelek credits RIT with giving him the ability to create his own path to his career. When asked how he would describe RIT, he said without hesitation: “A diverse, supportive, and encouraging community. Interacting with students with a lot of different backgrounds and from across the world brought a unique perspective that was important before going into legislature and the board of elections.”

He also enjoyed being a liberal arts major at a university known for technology. “It was a unique and helpful addition to my journey compared to other schools.” He cites his Politics and Film course as the perfect example of how RIT helped him explore the intersection of technology with liberal arts. “I took classes unique to RIT that wouldn’t be available at another school,” he said. “I will forever have fond memories of RIT– I’m very thankful for my time there and for the RIT community.”