Political Campaign: An Interview with an Intern

Q. How did you become an intern? What process did you go through? Were there any special qualifications, or an application process?

A. I originally heard about the internship program through a politics professor, who gave me the email of the internship coordinator at the New York Office for the campaign. I received a response within a few days and was directed to the campaign website, where I would find an application for an internship. The application was somewhat intense. It required a physical application with your standard biographical information on it, two personal recommendations, a college transcript, as well as a personal statement indicating what my interest was in the campaign, why I wanted the position, etc. I then had to mail the complete application to the New York Office. I received a phone call a couple of weeks later, requesting a phone interview. I was hired over the phone after the interview and received information about my schedule, location, and office dress code later on.

Q. Were there any other candidates that you considered? Why did you choose Clinton?

A. Several other campaigns do have offices in the New York area given its importance as a financial capital, so I did have my choice of campaigns. I chose the Clinton campaign because I truly believe in her candidacy, particularly her call for universal health care. To me, she has the experience, the drive, and most importantly, the compassion to turn this country back in the right direction after eight years of turmoil and political corruption from the current administration. For those of you who doubt her sincerity, I encourage you to look up and read the speech she gave at the UN Women's Conference in 1995 in Beijing, China. Considered one of the greatest speeches of the 20^th century, I believe this speech shows the woman behind the presidential candidate and politician.

Q. What interested you in becoming an intern?

A. Politics has fascinated me since the fiasco known as election 2000 and the hanging chad. The interest led to me choosing to major in politics in college, with a focus on American politics. After learning about the political system more in depth, including a class detailing the aspects of the American presidency, I wanted to experience presidential politics first hand. Given we are currently involved in perhaps one of the most crucial elections in our history as a nation, what better way to get my feet wet than learning the ropes as an intern on a campaign?

Q. How long have you been working with the campaign?

A. I actually only worked on the campaign for two and a half months. While I enjoyed the work a lot, and learned more in that time frame than I did within the controlled environment of a classroom, I ended up leaving my internship due to other constraints put on my time. Midterms, the tedious law school application process, and more demanding hours at my paying job due to the approaching holiday season meant I couldn't do it all. I regret that I wasn't able to continue with it, but as one individual you are only capable of balancing so many things. I still fully support her candidacy and I follow it through the campaign website and various news sources.

Q.How often do you intern?

A. I was interning twice a week for eight hours a day. In addition, I would help work various events the campaign held in the New York area. The amount of time spent here varied by event.

Q.When will your internship be complete?

A. I formally ended my internship there in late October. If I had not done so, my internship was scheduled to end in December, but I had been told I could stay on for the duration of the campaign.

Q. What sort of work do you do while interning?

A. Most of the time was spent phone banking for events or primaries. The time not spent on the phones was devoted to preparing mailings, doing the preparation work for events, helping maintain the phone and donor lists using online databases, and running errands for the fundraisers in the office.

Q. Have you met Hilary? If so, what was it like? What were your impressions of her?

A. I physically did not meet her. I did, however, have the opportunity to hear her speak in person. My impression of her was that she was in fact, genuine in her willingness to help people, that she is not just a calculating politician. She actually brought a tear to my eye when the thought occurred to me that things can be a lot better in the world than they are now. It was at that moment that I knew I'd picked the right campaign.

Q. Are there any benefits to being an intern?

A. As I've already alluded to, I learned more during my limited time on the campaign than I did in any classroom. No book or professor lecture can show you what politics is really about. Yes, being able to see Senator Clinton speak in person was amazing. Knowing I helped contribute to her candidacy and hopefully, her successful nomination as the Democratic candidate for President is a wonderful feeling. But first and foremost, the main benefit of working on such a campaign is it gave me a better idea of what to expect should I ever choose to get involved in another political campaign.

Q. For anyone considering an internship with a political campaign, what could you suggest?

A. First, make sure you want to work for the candidate you're looking to intern for. Politics is about believing in change and believing in people. Do not intern for a candidate you do not believe in. Secondly, make sure you have the time for the commitment the campaign is asking for. Finally, do not have a fear of the phone. If you're working on a political campaign, chances are you're going to be spending a lot of time on the phone, and some calls are a lot more difficult to handle than others.

Q. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

A. I would just like to ask anyone who is reading this, especially those of you who have the ability to vote in the various democratic primaries coming up in the next few weeks, to visit hillaryclinton.com and just take a moment to read and hear her message. Also, step away from the computer and get involved in something you believe in, whether it is a political campaign, volunteering to help those less fortunate than you, or taking the time to learn more about your personal religious beliefs. You'll be surprised what you learn about yourself along the way.

Thanks for your time, and for sharing your experiences with me.