Bauer Selected as a 2025 Texas Legislative Fellow
Stephany Bauer, MS, DrPH student at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Brownsville, has been selected as a 2025 Texas Legislative Fellow. As a fellow, Bauer will spend the spring 2025 semester following the 89th legislative session in Texas while interning for Dean Senator Judith Zaffirini, Dean Senator of the 21st District 21, which serves over 900,000 constituents.
The Texas Legislative Fellowship Program offers students a unique opportunity to gain academic and professional experience in the lens of policy. Students are Ssupported by with a living stipend of up to $10,000 for full-time and $5,000 for part-time, where graduate students, they intern in a state legislative or senatorial office for an entire semester. The program will provide Bauer with hands-on experience to engage engaging with lawmakers and at the forefront of developing and implementing public health policies at the state level.
“The Texas Legislation Fellowship will provide me with invaluable experience in understanding policy development and the legislative processes,” said Bauer. “I will be able to interact with legislators, policymakers, community partners, and other key players in the state’s political landscape.”
As a fourth-year DrPH student studying Health Promotion and Health Education, Bauer is eager to work alongside Dean Dean Senator Zaffirini (D) — the first Mexican American woman elected to the Texas Senate and its as the first woman Dean.
The 140-day session will address various topics affecting Texas, including public health policies and school-based health programs, many that resonate personally with Bauer. As a former educator, she spent years advocating for evidence-based health curricula, a passion that pushed her toward seeking a graduate education in public health.
“Schools play an essential role and have a broad reach in setting positive routines for students’ health development,” she explained. “Schools can positively influence lifelong health outcomes by teaching, establishing, and promoting healthy lifestyles.”
For Bauer, this unique opportunity stands for the continued work of public health professionals advocating for healthy solutions to help the population. Alongside Dean Senator Zaffirini, she’ll aid in analyzing public health policies, aiding in monitoring bill tracking, and advocating for constituents of District 21. “Public service and policymaking are fascinating because these roles have a broad scale reach to increase prevention and improve the quality of life for many individuals,” said Bauer. “This role has the capability to effect change by empowering people to know, understand, and engage in positive health behaviors.”