Centenary student chosen for 2021 Louisiana Governor’s Fellows program
SHREVEPORT, LA — Jaron Petreas will participate in the 2021 Governor’s Fellows Program in Louisiana Government. Petreas was chosen as a Governor’s Fellow following a competitive application process that included an essay outlining an original policy proposal.
The Governor’s Fellows program is open to undergraduates attending Louisiana institutions or Louisiana students attending college out of state, and offers participants the chance to experience public policy in action, learn about Louisiana politics from both a historical and current affairs perspective, and earn three hours of academic credit. The program begins May 31 in Baton Rouge and runs through the end of July.
Each Governor’s Fellow is assigned to a Cabinet-level agency in Baton Rouge, giving the students a chance to observe how policy is developed at the state level and to contribute to ongoing projects with agency leaders. Fellows are often assigned based on the interest expressed in the policy proposal submitted with their applications. Petreas wrote his policy proposal on a progressive excise tax for private schools to generate funds for public schools. He hopes to be assigned to the Department of Economic Development, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Education, or Department of Revenue.
“I'm most looking forward to working under the great people in Governor John Bel Edwards' administration and alongside the other Fellows in the program,” said Petreas. “After graduation, I plan to attend law school. The Governor's Fellowship program should certainly provide me with a great hands-on experience in the law-making and policy-enacting process, and it should also give me some significant insight on some of the potential jobs that will be available to me after law school.”
Petreas is a native of Denton, Texas, and graduated from Guyer High School before coming to Centenary, where he is majoring in economics with a minor in legal studies. Petreas is a member of the 2021 SCAC championship men’s soccer team and Kappa Alpha Order at Centenary. He serves as Interfraternity Council treasurer and is the student representative to both the College’s Intercollegiate Athletic Committee and the Economic Policy Committee.