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New to politics but eager to learn is Congressman Pete Staubers’ new field representative and veteran’s advocate Jacob Warkentin. Staff photo Brian Larsen
Jacob Warkentin, a field representative and veterans’ advocate who works for Congressman Pete Stauber came by last week to introduce himself and get familiar with the area. He had already spent the previous day in Grand Portage at the Tribal Council office and Grand Portage Monument. Earlier in the morning, he visited the Cook County Historical Museum and was off to Grand Marais city hall to meet with employees following his visit with the newspaper.
At age 24, he’s eager and energetic and has been enjoying learning how government works.
“I started working for Pete in February,” said Warkentin. “I’m trying to get out and meet the public and government officials in his district.”
A four-year veteran of the Army, Jacob grew up in Colorado until he was ready to enter his junior year of high school, a class of about 600. “My parents decided to buy a fishing/ hunting lodge in Canada in Waterhen, Manitoba. My dad had had enough of corporate life, and my parents had made enough money and were ready for a change. They moved us to a small village where there were eight kids in my graduating class.”
Following high school, Jacob returned to the states and in 2016, he joined the Army. He was based in Fort Carson, Colorado, and served with the 4th Infantry Division, 3rd Armored Brigade team. He deployed to Kuwait for a year and did a year in Europe, spending a lot of time in Germany and Poland. He learned construction work and how to operate large equipment in the service, a field he can always fall back on because of his skills and the demand for workers, he said. During his time in the military, Jacob earned three Army Achievement Medals and one Army Commendation.
Saying, “I’m not super political,” but he was intrigued by a Congressional program that offered a two-year internship to work with a member of Congress.
“My job is to meet with people, government units, find out what they need, and then take that information back to Mr. Stauber to see how he can help them,” he said.
Jacob is working through the Wounded Warrior Fellowship Program, which was established in 2008 to provide employment opportunities for wounded or disabled veterans for a two-year, full-time paid fellowship to work with a member of Congress.
Jacob works out of Congressman Stauber’s Hermantown Office. He and his wife Alaina live in Duluth and Alaina is a student at Lake Superior College.
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