A Lebanon teenager is balancing the world of a graduating high school senior with that of a college freshman and an intern for a state representative in Jefferson City.
Abigail Lloyd is a senior at Cross Christian School and also attends Southwest Baptist University full time as a dual enrollment SBU Academy student.
This year when she graduates high school she will also have her first year of college finished. She is high honors honor roll with a 3.85 GPA.
The opportunity came after she met state Rep. Melissa Schmidt at a volunteer event in December. Schmidt invited her to job shadow for a day and then invited her to become her intern for this term. She explained why she readily accepted.
“I want to go to law school and this would actually be a really good opportunity. Working in the (Missouri) House of Representatives, being involved in legislative process, it’s a really good experience that you just don't turn down,” she said.
She is unusually young for an intern. She was 17 when she started and recently turned 18.
“I’m the only one that was still in high school, mostly it’s college juniors and seniors,” she said. “I think there were two other college freshmen and a sophomore, but I was really the youngest intern.”
Abigail said her duties can vary from day to day.
“Some days I’m helping with paperwork and phone calls,” she said. “There was one day where all we did was phone calls and that was a very long day.”
She said she also helped people find their way around the building. She said the experience has helped develop her people management skills.
“I was already very much a people person, but this was interacting with people on a professional level that I really hadn’t had before,” she said.
She has also developed more time management skills, according to her father, Alex Lloyd.
“Mom and Dad have to tell her it's time for bed. You have to get up early and even though we'll say it, she'll stay up two or three more hours, making sure that she gets her assignment, because she knows that's just how important it is,” he said.
Schmidt said in an email message that she was happy to have Abigail work in her office.
"Having Abigail in my state office has been an honor and a privilege and a daily reminder of why I serve District 141. Abigail is an incredible example of the next generation, and I'm thankful that she spends a portion of her time assisting her fellow Missourians and me as an intern in our Jefferson City office,” she said.
Laura Gartin, director of Live 2 Give Hope/Fostering Hope Closet, also commented on Abigail’s volunteer work.
"Abigail has been an absolute joy to have involved with Live 2 Give Hope. It's been amazing to watch her grow into a compassionate, service-minded young leader. She serves with heart, including at our Christmas party, where she volunteered with the JustServe organization. That is where she first met (state) Representative Schmidt where both were volunteering to make the holidays brighter for children in foster care. Her dedication, kindness, and eagerness to serve reflect the very best of our mission-empowering youth to make a positive impact in their community,” she said.
Abigail was recruited by dozens of colleges. She applied for three and was accepted into all three, including College of the Ozarks.
In the end, she decided to stay at Southwest Baptist University. Her plan is to do a double major in social work and criminal justice, then go to law school and become a child advocacy attorney in Lebanon, where she plans to return to.
She is hoping to work in the public defender’s office as a guardian ad litem after college.
Last year, she job shadowed at Brand Law Firm, PC in Lebanon as a part of her school program and interned at the airport.
She has received so far around $25,000 a year in scholarships and financial aid. She is still applying for scholarships (Her total cost a year is $42,000, so she is $17,000 a year away).
She received the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Good Citizen award from Cross Christian School. Abigail is the daughter of Alex and Victoria Lloyd of Lebanon.
For more stories, see Wednesday's LCR.
March 31, 2026 Update: Fixed typo.
