The Bridges Fellowship
Texas AFT is looking to develop the next generation of policy and communications experts in the labor and pro-public education movement.
Each year, Texas AFT recruits hardworking self-starters to join the Bridges Fellowship. The Fellowship is named in honor of the late Linda Bridges, the president of Texas AFT for over two decades and a titan in the Texas labor movement.
Bridges Fellows are integral to Texas AFT’s legislative, electoral, and general communications strategy. Bridges Fellows will get hands-on experience doing consequential work to further the goals of our organization. Our fellows must be committed to helping improve the lives of our members and the families and students we serve across the state.
We are currently looking to hire two new fellows to join the 2023-2024 class: one public policy fellow and one communications fellow.
General Fellowship Information and Requirements
| Academic Status | Currently enrolled in a college or university |
| Compensation | $1,500 monthly stipend |
| Working Hours | 20 hours per week |
| Location | Fellowship is virtual, but fellows must be based in Austin. |
Fellows receive the same paid holidays as Texas AFT employees, including 10 days at Christmas. Your class schedule MUST allow you to work 20 hours during weekdays between the hours of 8 to 6. Occasional evenings and weekends are required.
Public policy fellows will be required to:
- conduct research projects on a variety of labor and education issues,
- summarize complex legislative topics into concise articles suitable for our membership,
- analyze and evaluate legislation,
- represent our union at public and private events, and
- attend and administer meetings for union leaders and membership.
Communications fellows will be required to:
- contribute to and organize the distribution of our internal and external communications,
- create content for our union’s social media accounts,
- complete basic graphic design tasks, and
- track key events such as town halls, rallies, and other events relevant to our union’s mission.
All applicants must possess:
- A commitment to the labor movement;
- Strong writing & analytical skills;
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks;
- Ability to be self-motivated and adaptable, and to complete projects under time constraints;
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a team;
- Willingness to learn from feedback and constructive criticism;
- Previous paid work experience; and the
- Ability to communicate with, understand and anticipate the diverse concerns of people of varied economic, racial, ethnic, and gender backgrounds and identities.
Bilingual applicants and those with teaching experience are strongly encouraged to apply.
Application Instructions:
Please email a copy of your resume and a writing sample of fewer than 1,000 words to emelendrez@texasaft.org.
All applications must be submitted on or before September 10, 2023.
Bridges Fellow Alumni Testimonials
“Working as a Bridges Fellow, I witnessed firsthand the power of collective action in shaping better educational opportunities in Texas. This opportunity gave me incredible exposure to labor, organizing, and policy work that I will use for the rest of my career.”
Kennedy Quintanilla
Communications and Narrative Coordinator, Texas for All
2020-2021 Bridges Fellow
“The Bridges Fellowship helped learn so much about not just public education, but how the Texas Legislature works. The fellowship helped me become well-rounded in a variety of areas that have helped me in my career.”
Jose Puente
Communications Assistant, Congressman Greg Casar
2022-2023 Bridges Fellow
“My time as a Bridges Fellow gave me the opportunity to use my skills to directly help people in Texas. I gained an even deeper appreciation for public education employees, and learned important information and history on labor organizing that I now implement outside of work.”
Sierra Wiggers
Graphic Designer, Texas AFT
2021-2022 Bridges Fellow
“The Bridges Fellowship was an incredible opportunity to get hands-on policy and legislative experience working with some of the greatest labor and education policy experts in Texas.”
Eli Melendrez
Public Affairs Researcher & Writer, Texas AFT
2019-2021 Bridges Fellow
