Intern Spotlight: Connor Thomas
This summer, we are excited to have eight interns working with us in policy, law, grassroots, intercessory prayer, media, IT and election campaigns. Since their start date on June 1st, they have already contributed valuable work that advances the mission of The Family Foundation. In addition to their normal responsibilities, they also participate in our weekly EQUIP Worldview Academy for high school seniors and college-age students.
For the duration of our internship program, we will release a bio of each intern, written by one of their fellow interns, so you can get to know The Family Foundation Intern Class of 2021. Today's bio was written by our legal intern Scott Oakley.
The next intern for us to introduce is policy intern Connor Thomas!
A hometown boy, Connor was born and raised in Chesterfield, Virginia. Growing up an athlete, he played soccer at first, but transitioned over into tennis and volleyball at Matoaca High School. Connor has been continuing his education at James Madison University, where he is currently a senior with only one semester left. At the end of this upcoming semester, he will have completed a degree in political science with a concentration in public policy and administration.
Connor has never been afraid to stand up and for what’s right, leading all the way back to kindergarten when he stood up to the school bully on the bus to the cheers of his classmates. As he grew older, this resolve became supplemented by an appreciation for our country, which led Connor to devote these past three years to serving in the Army National Guard. His service has been eventful already, as he was activated and sent to Washington D.C. in response to January 6th, and is gearing up for a 400-day deployment to Somalia upon graduation.
In his personal life, Connor is big on two things: working out and listening to music. A self-described “gym junkie,” Connorgoes and works out every day after work. In fact, he sees himself one day opening his own gym with his best friend. As a part of the gym life, Connor also listens to TONS of music. Believe it or not, he was in the top 1% of Spotify listeners last year, meaning he listened to more music through Spotify than 99% of other listeners. His preferred genres are alternative and hip-hop/R&B, but he listens to pretty much every genre you can think of.
This love for music has translated into an interest in playing the guitar and ukulele, which he has been doing for about six years now. Additionally, Connor also loves to paint and customize his wardrobe, along with watch shows like HunterxHunter and The Office. While he is normally the tallest in the room at a solid 6’4”, he has conceded his title to yours truly for the summer. However, we were forced to concede the title of Monopoly champion to him when he annihilated us a few weeks ago.
Connor has come to the Family Foundation for the summer out of a desire to bring legislation and public policy back towards Biblical principles. He understands that although not everyone in Virginia is Christian, everyone will be benefitted by the Christian principles we are fighting for. In particular, Connor is most passionate about the transgender laws and policies being pushed into our public schools. Many of his projects for the summer have to do with the education system and exploring ways to stop them from being turned into youth indoctrination camps.
As for what he likes most about the Family Foundation, he enjoys the positive atmosphere that is cultivated by people who share the same values. Every day he feels us working to grow closer to God both personally and as a society. His favorite Bible verse comes from Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Connor has been a great addition to our office, and we certainly are happy to have him here!