Holly McDonald is a senior at The University of Texas at Austin majoring in government and minoring in communication studies. Over the last year as a fellow in the J.J. Pickle Research Fellowship in the UT government department, she had the opportunity to conduct and present her own research on the relationship between Congress and mental health policy. She also spent the fellowship working as a research assistant for two doctoral candidates. Since moving to Austin, Holly has worked closely in Texas state politics and is particularly interested in mental health and education policy. She has worked as a policy research intern with an Austin lobbying firm, as a campaign field fellow on a State House race, and most recently as the Deputy District Director and Scheduler for Texas State Representative James Talarico. After graduating in May, Holly plans to continue to work in Texas politics.