How has this experience (Internship) made you consider your college path that will ultimately lead to your career?
Internship has played a huge role in influencing my college path. At first, I was convinced I wanted to go into straight politics, but after working in local politics, I want to try international work. International and foreign policy issues are very different from issues in local politics, and they are issues I feel I am more passionate about, such as climate change and urban development. Besides my major change, internship has also made me think about what type of college I want to attend. I was set on going straight to a four year college, but after talking with many of my co-workers, community college may be the best way to go for the first few years. The cost is exponentially cheaper and you still have access to many of the same opportunities a normal college student would. However, I am still unsure between both paths, and am considering many options. Also through internship, I have expanded my location of college interests. Many schools on the east coast specialize in International Relations and foreign policy, and I'm starting to now consider more options on the East Coast. There are many ways internship has influenced my future college and career decisions, and I feel as though my perspective on the topic has become more well-rounded as well.
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Project Description/Importance: My project consisted of writing articles on a variety of different topics, including abortion, immigration, taxes, he military, housing, and foreign policy. My task was to spin articles favored towards the left, to the right, or just report on the issue. This was a great way of learning different perspectives and exposed me to a variety of topics I didn't know too much about. These articles were uploaded onto the Republican party's new news site, which will launch later this month. I was also able to do outreach and volunteer at events including a new citizen swear-in ceremony. Project Process: At first, my project was to create a simulation of a CRM and create an internship video for the party, but that switched around slightly after my mentor and I had a conversation. We decided that the CRM simulation would have no real benefit to the organization, so there was no point in doing it. I then decided to go over and work with the two communications directors, Andrew and Michael, on article writing. They both supported me with how to write the articles from a certain perspective, and taught me the best way of wording terms. I improved tremendously and have written 12 articles and counting. I plan on continuing to write these articles even after internship is over. Links To Articles: docs.google.com/document/d/1TDkpuq_4Z84rdJTCBO_BqCJtdGJMQow5xPKGvs8L75E/edit docs.google.com/document/d/1wtnn-VIJv5_ZoY0LO08dnm5ZDDSJR2DarGWOO_b2nvM/edit docs.google.com/document/d/1WxBQHGLkZ-15K-wKbqPiOLLbEvQExRthlFRwD7Cb-T0/edit docs.google.com/document/d/1bOMYPDcXX7oKo5NRVCDwNkt7GhSuTWRyH0q0q0uWIVA/edit docs.google.com/document/d/1COqmkZHCP6ShmhAPJ16dc1ZDJP37PhsDHl4l79kb3Ig/edit Photos: Button For POL Slides:
How did you measure the success of the work you did while you were an intern? What did you learn from this?
I measured the success of my work as an intern through the importance of the work. Almost all of the work I did was in direct contribution to the company in some way, and the variety of work I've done has showed. From writing articles, filming an internship video, CRM work, doing mailers, and even volunteering at events have all helped in some way. I've learned through all of this that there is a lot of work when it comes to politics, and always being ready to work is very important. How did you make a meaningful contribution to your workplace? I made a meaningful contribution in my workplace by being a proactive worker. Besides completing a variety of tasks, I was also always willing to ask for work and help others when they needed it. The articles I wrote benefited their news site, the volunteer worked helped people register to vote, the phone calling and mailer helped with outreach, and the intern video is going to help with attracting more interns to their program. What new appreciations did you develop while working as an intern? Why? A new appreciation I developed was how tedious it can be to work in politics. There is a lot of work, and you have to be committed to the work you're doing if you really want it to get done. I've sped up my work process a lot more which has allowed me to help more and in different ways. I've also learned to appreciate different viewpoints, and translate that into my work. I don't agree with with many of the issues I'm writing about, but doing it has allowed me to see the other, and appreciate our differences. What new questions has your internship inspired you to ask about our world? What has it made you wonder about? What are you moved to go out and do or learn about on your own time? My internship has inspired me to ask what can I do to better our world and help others. It's inspired me to look on a grander scale, and work towards solving global issues. I can do more than I think I can, and I want to apply myself in those areas. I'm going to learn more about the world, how it works, and what needs to be done. I'm also wondering how we can diminish the political divide in our country, and come together in a bipartisan way to solve issues. These are the 5 photos that best represent the work I've done for internship so far. This includes outreach, article writing, CRM work, and more. How have you advocated for yourself during your internship, or seen advocacy demonstrated in other situations?
Throughout my time at the Republican Party, I think I have advocated for myself in multiple ways. Whenever I'm confused about the task I am doing, whether that be CRM work, calling people around the county, or even registering people to vote, I always ask my mentor or my peers for help. I am not afraid to ask for help, and I think that is a very important skill to have. I want to build my peers up and hopefully they can do the same for me. It's what makes us a team, and propels us to get stuff done. Even if my question may seem "dumb" at the time, it's better to clarify and make sure what I'm are doing is correct, then mess something up and have to take even more time to correct my mistake. I will continue to move forward with this mindset, because I've learned a lot more than I would have without it. Are you following the advice in "How to be an intern everyone remembers"? If so, how is it working out? If not, what are you going to start doing? I think I am being "an intern that everyone remembers" by making an impact in different areas of the organization. I have worked in outreach, voter registration, CRM database transfer work, writing articles for newspapers about current political issues, and working to prepare for the biggest fundraising event for the party. I also have made connection with many of my peers, including many of the other interns, and the directors of the office. Each is extremely nice and helpful, and are always looking out for one another. Even though I've only been there for a week and a half, I feel more comfortable. I want to continue working hard and bringing my best effort every day. What do you plan on doing/creating?
My internship project is going to comprise of two different assignments. The first being, I am going to be creating simulations for CRM's. CRM's, also known as "Customer Relationship Management," revolves around managing a database with all of a company's customers or members. This allows you to keep track of finances, and keep in touch with customers and convince them to continue working with your company. Important records and information are stored within these databases, so while I can't technically use the CRM data from the Republican Party, I am going to simulate CRM usage using fake information. This way I can practice keeping up with a database, and understand something so fundamental to the success of a company. While this won't directly benefit the company, I wanted to create part of my project around something I was interested in, which was CRM's. The other assignment in my project will be creating a video about the internship program at the Republican Party with Diego. This organization is committed to it's interns, and finding more young people inspired by politics is the goal from this video. What skills will you need in order for it to be awesome? For the CRM work, I will need organization, patience, and concentration. These three skills will be essential if I plan on regularly keeping up with this data. Organization will allow me to order my data and be able to quickly find anything information I need easily. Patience will be required as the data needed to input is in large amounts. For big companies, CRM's hold the information of millions of people who are customers, so patience is key. Concentration is an extremely useful skill because I will need to make sure all of the information is correct and ordered. If I mess up once, it can affect everything I input in the future. For the video, I need communication and collaboration when working with Diego, and I also need to be creative when writing a script for the video, and editing the video to best convey our message to future interns. What support will you need, and who will you need it from? For the CRM work, I will need help with just the basics on how to use the CRM the company uses. One of my mentors has given me a run through and will continue to help me throughout my project. For the video, I will just need support from my other mentor to understand the best way of getting new interns to apply for the Republican Party. I'm excited to see how my projects turn out! Mentor Interview Diego and I decided to audio record our interview with our mentor. We agreed that this format would be the best way to capture his thorough answers without cutting important parts out. We asked questions surrounding his journey, his background, the organization, the internship program, and more. Below are two audio clips of the interview.
Internship Reflection
Overall, my time at the Republican Party of San Diego County so far has been memorable and full of experiences. I've met many different types of people, each with their own individual views, and have heard their perspectives on the issues facing our country today. These experiences have given me a more well-rounded perspective about my views and politics as a whole. The organization's purpose and methods have also become more clear to me as well. All of these tasks and assignments rally up a base that is very diverse and spread out. Each tedious task plays a role in building up the Republican party. The biggest skill I am currently developing and need to continue developing, is how I grow and become more comfortable in an environment that is brand new to me. Being in an environment where my opinions differ from others allows me to grow and have civil discourse about about ideals, even if I do sometimes still feel uncomfortable. It's a process and I'm excited to learn more throughout it. My most memorable viewing experience so far has been when a group of Republican Women came in to help, and through my mentor for a loop in the process. My mentor is very patient and respectful, but I could tell he was becoming flustered as time went on. It was interesting to watch. In fact, one of the women stuffing the envelopes was asked by my mentor to please wash her hands, since she had been eating potato chips and was getting the envelopes greasy. She then turned, looked my mentor straight in the eye, and licked each one of her fingers. She then proceeded to continue working with her fingers she had just licked. I was speechless. I have also enjoyed watching an entire season of animal planet while folding and stuffing hundreds of envelopes. My commute to work has been pretty peaceful which I am grateful for. It takes me about 20 minutes to get to the building, and I don't start until 10 in the morning. I really appreciate this schedule. Internship has been going great so far! Matthew Evans
Republican Party of San Diego County What strikes you most about your workplace? There are a few things that strike me about my workplace. The first being, the environment itself is very supportive and encouraging, but also has fun at the same time. They are all very close as well, and bring that same energy to us, which makes me feel a lot more comfortable. There is also an overwhelming sense of understanding and attention to detail. Everything is organized, and even though there is a lot of work, my colleagues find a way to make even the most tedious of tasks, enjoyable. What strikes you most about your colleagues? My colleagues are great people. They each are very personable and social, are very supportive, and each embrace their different beliefs and opinions. Even though it is a political environment, everyone is respectful to each other, but is still willing to discuss their differences in views without it turning into an argument. I feel more at ease knowing this, since I also have many differing opinions from most of my colleagues. I've been pretty open about my opinions, but my colleagues respect that and don't treat me any differently. What strikes you most about the job you're doing? My job is very interesting, because it involves many tedious tasks, and many tasks with variety. Today for example, we folded summer event brochures for about three hours, and then stuffed envelopes with those brochures for another three hours. Our day essentially revolved these two tasks, and even though I've planned on doing projects and assignments that have more variety, every assignment is done for a reason. Most of these assignments are also very time sensitive and require a lot of manpower. Even though sometimes I may think what I'm doing is boring, this work is something I will take with me for years to come. What are you excited about? I am excited to network, and gain new connections throughout the political landscape. I want to understand what it is like working within a political party, and how to become connected to campaigns. I am also excited to work on my project which involves making a video for the Republican Party's internship program, and interviewing potential Republican candidates. I want to make an impact during this impact, and learn a lot about this field of work. What are you worried about? I'm not worried that much, but the main thing I'm worried about is meeting the expectations throughout each assignment and project I take on. I want to get as much support as possible, so I can create the best work I possibly can. Besides that, I'm not really worried about anything else and I feel confident in my ability to do well. Matthew Evans
Republican Party of San Diego County Intern Mr. Corner Contact Person (On Site): Anthony Episcopo [email protected] Describe what you think a typical work day is like at this site. A typical work day at this site is starting the day assessing where things are and if anything needs to be addressed before people begin work. Once that is out of the way, a typical day for interns revolves around doing the tasks that are very time consuming, but keep the office moving. Tasks such as answering phone calls, filing, looking over data, and organizing materials are left to the interns to complete. The main goal of the Republican Party of San Diego County is to get more people to vote with Republican candidates and for Republican ideals. Interns are meant to promote voters not only to vote, but become involved with the Republican Party itself. Along with everything listed, I will also be interviewing candidates on their policies and positions, while also working with another intern to create a video about the internship program at the Republican Party. What do you think the business's general work policies are? The business's general work policies are pretty straightforward, with a few being somewhat flexible. When it comes to absences and tardiness, interns typically do have set schedule. That schedule however, can be moved around if needed since not everyone typically comes into the office each day. While tardiness and absence isn't a make or break situation, it is still extremely important to make sure as an intern, I am there and there on time. If there is a situation where I need the day off, I should communicate that with my mentor and find a possible solution to make up the work. Most of the other straightforward work policies revolve around the organization's principles and morals. That includes creating a respectful space where issues can be talked about and disagreed upon. Describe the dress code. What does that mean to you? The dress code is somewhat formal, but not extremely formal. There really isn't a specific dress code, and the employees/interns dress in everything from super casual clothing, to formal attire. I am probably going to wear collared shirts and either pants/slacks. Jeans are also allowed too, so I am going to probably wear those as well. In general, the clothing you choose to wear should be comfortable and allow you to work your best in. This dress code means a lot to me, and I really appreciate the ability to wear more casual clothing in a professional space. I tend to associate a political environment with very formal attire, but to see different people dress in many different ways, is really amazing. Please write a reflection about your Career Day experience. What do you expect the professional world there to be like? Overall, my career day at the Republican Party of San Diego County was a great one. I was able to meet another intern I hadn't met before, create my bio for potential candidates to scout me out, understand more about the values and policies throughout the office, and get a complete tour/overview of what I'll be working on during internship. I was also to get a better understanding of the policies and issues the Republican Party of San Diego County focuses on, which is almost always local issues such as immigration, taxes, and water supply, in comparison to the more frequently talked about national issues. I expect the professional world there to be very understanding and open, as everyone there has different views on certain issues. I also expect to grow a lot as a person there, and shape my beliefs and values more as I work first-hand with the issues affecting people today. In what ways do you expect your high school classes and the skills you have learned to apply to this profession? Humanities: Writing and Communication Skills Application: Thoroughly and convincingly address people to understand my point of view, while also getting more people to be involved politically within their regions. Math: Analyzing Data and Trends Application: Deeply understanding the data and numbers behind voters and what they want for their legislation. Also to notice data trends in how people vote in comparison to other factors. Spanish: Communication to Voters in Spanish Application: Even though I probably won't actually formally speak to voters and other people in Spanish, due to not speaking it fluently, if there ever is a situation where I need to communicate to someone in Spanish, what I've learned in class can be applied. |