So much so, she saw the opportunity to work as an electoral officer for NSW Member for Murray Helen Dalton and couldn't say no.
“I've always had a strong interest in politics and will hopefully one day be able to take on a role in the field, so this was a great opportunity to kickstart that career,” Mia said.
Ms Dalton put the feelers out for young people looking to give politics a go and found Mia to be the best candidate.
“I’m really keen to help young people passionate about rural Australia in any way I can, so I reached out to some schools in the area and asked if they had anyone interested in work experience,” Ms Dalton said.
“I actually had a paid vacancy in my Deniliquin office so I interviewed Mia for that position.”
Ms Dalton said she was blown away by the 19-year-old.
“She was very impressive in the interview. She knew a lot about rural issues and had a lot of other extracurricular experience,” she said.
Over the next two weeks, Mia represented Ms Dalton at her Deniliquin office and got a glimpse at what it takes to be a politician.
“I spent a lot of the time dealing with constituents, recording case files and mainly interacting with the community, which I found really interesting,” Mia said.
“Seeing the inner workings was very beneficial for me.”
Over time, Mia was able to see just how committed you had to be in a role like Ms Dalton's.
“Helen is based in Griffith, but she would call the office at least five times a day just to make sure things were running smoothly,” she said.
Most of Mia's work consisted of helping residents with their border closure woes.
“A lot of people called the office distressed when the Victorian Government shut the border, so Mia handled their inquiries and helped them get a border permit,” Ms Dalton said.
Mia said it was an eye-opening experience.
“I learnt how to deal with complaints and people coming into the office,” she said.
“But it was great because every person that came into the office was dealt with. There was no such thing as turning people away or putting them in the ‘too hard basket'.
“It was interesting to see how community-based politics can be. I was writing letters to ministers on behalf of Helen and it was great to see her standing up for the people in her electorate.”
While Mia spent just two weeks in the position, Ms Dalton said the young woman was one to look out for in the future of politics.
“There is no doubt she’s destined for greatness,” she said.
“One day, people might be calling her the Murray Millionaire, which is what my opponents call me.
“She’s interested in politics so she could be a future Member for Murray. I just hope she doesn’t run against me.”
While she is off to Canberra this year to start her degree in international security at the Australian National University, Mia is hoping to keep in touch with Ms Dalton.
“I loved my time in the Deni office and I'm hoping I can go back and work there during my university holidays,” Mia said.
“I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone interested in politics.”
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