John Owens of Nesquehoning is working for the state Senate Minority Research Office as part of a 15-week internship sponsored by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).

He is the son of Patrick and Judy Owens and a 2011 graduate of Panther Valley High School.Owens is a junior finance and economics major in the honors program at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. He is one of 14 students participating in The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS) program, which provides students the opportunity to work in all areas of state government while earning a full semester's worth of credits.More than 500 students from PASSHE universities have participated in THIS since the program began in 1989. Interns have worked with dozens of state agencies, as well as in the offices of the governor, the speaker of the House of Representatives and the attorney general.