Last week, the Gann American Politics Club was welcomed to the Massachusetts State House for a special tour and inside look into the daily proceedings of the legislature through the office of Senator Cindy Creem. Organized by Club Presidents Jordan B. and Ben A., the visit served as an exciting first field trip for the group and likely the first of many.
Members of the Gann American Politics Club inside the Massachusetts State House during the group’s inaugural field trip to Beacon Hill.
The State House visit built on conversations they have been having in American Politics Club. This year, students have explored topics ranging from immigration and the federal budget to the election of Zohran Mamdani and gerrymandering battles unfolding in states across the country. They have also taken a closer look at how institutions such as the Federal Reserve and the Massachusetts legislature function behind the scenes.
The club draws students with a wide range of political interests and viewpoints, creating opportunities to wrestle with complex issues and learn from one another. At the State House, those conversations moved from the abstract to the tangible.
After an initial introduction by staffers, Gann students were welcomed into the House Chamber. Here, students looked down from the gallery seats at the desks where legislation is introduced, debated, revised, and voted on in real time. Senator Creem’s Head of Communications explained aspects of the day-to-day happenings at the State House, shared aspects of her career path, and took questions from the Gann club. Questions ranged from policymaking and legislative priorities to internships, public service careers, and recent efforts to combat antisemitism in Massachusetts.
Gann students sit in the gallery overlooking the House Chamber beneath the “Sacred Cod,” the carved wooden fish that hangs above representatives as a symbol of Massachusetts’ maritime roots.
Staffers spoke about recent state funding for security grants and broader legislative efforts following the rise in antisemitic incidents after October 7, including Senator John Velis’s 2024 Commission on Combating Antisemitism. “It’s very much on our radar,” one staffer told the students.
Following this discussion, students were invited to sit in the gallery overlooking the Senate Chamber. On the day of the trip, senators discussed “Gateway Cities,” midsize Massachusetts cities designated from additional state support, and the need for stronger leadership and investment in those communities. At another point, students listened as senators discussed “Dakota’s Law,” legislation inspired by Dakota, a German shepherd mix and former Newton Police K-9 who helped track Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev through Watertown and later developed debilitating PTSD. The presentation was an appeal for funding for the long-term care and rehabilitation of working dogs affected by trauma in the line of duty, and a moving reminder of the responsibility humans carry toward the animals who serve alongside them in moments of crisis.
In an era when it can be easy to feel cynical about politics, the conversations unfolding in the chamber felt strikingly real. For members of Gann’s American Politics Club, the visit offered something more immediate than a classroom discussion about government. It was a chance to witness the pace, complexity, and human side of public service up close.
As students stepped back outside the State House into a beautiful spring afternoon, they were met by a sea of Memorial Day flags stretching across the nearby Common. The scene served as a quiet reminder that many of the conversations unfolding inside the chamber were connected to real people, histories, and communities beyond the building itself.
A sea of Memorial Day flags stretches across Boston Common outside the Massachusetts State House ahead of the holiday weekend.