I thought I would start off this blog post by stating the obvious for every single one of us: This semester has been hard. From being a Resident Assistant on campus, to balancing 15 hours of school work, to clubs, to having a social life, and everything in-between, it seemed like I could barely put a second job on my plate. Like so many of you reading, I saw the Political Internship Class as an added stressor on my already busy schedule. I needed the course credit, and I knew there was no way to get around adding a second job.
Surprisingly, my internship with the Texas Democratic Party has provided me with an outlet to escape the everyday drudgery that every college student faces. This internship has re-energized my passion for politics while giving me a real-world perspective into what it takes to be a prominent figure in the political sphere.
The thing I truly enjoy the most about the job is I have yet to experience a “typical day” in the life of an intern at the Texas Democratic Party. Every Tuesday and Thursday when I come in, I am given a different assignment. I have done everything from filling in spreadsheets regarding county voting data, providing lists for county polling locations, calling voters within districts holding special elections, assisting in creating survey questions for potential voters to take, to creating profiles on Republican candidates in certain districts, and creating flyers and posters for Texas Democratic Party events with their specific fonts, logos, and styles (it’s much harder than you’d expect). There is rarely a slow day for interns, and I learn something new every day.
This is my view in the “intern office,” where 3 or 4 of us are working at any given time.
As a native Arkansan, I have been given the opportunity to learn about the political climate in Texas. Currently, the biggest focus of the Texas Democratic Party is flipping several Texas House seats in districts scattered throughout the state. I have learned how the Texas Democratic Party educates and encourages voters about the elections coming up, and how they are able to convince lifelong Republicans in rural Texas to vote blue. Right now, the Texas Democratic Party is gearing up for the 2020 Election. The Party is convinced that Texas is going to be the biggest swing state in the 2020 Election, which I see as a possibility. I am grateful that I get to see and compare the political climates of Arkansas and Texas, and that I can learn more about the state I will live in for four years by the time I graduate.
I love the fact that I am able to see the firsthand efforts of people working hard for what they believe in. The professional staff at the Texas Democratic Party is filled with incredibly passionate, hard-working people who are making changes every day to the Texas political landscape. They inspire me to continue to pursue my passion of politics and to fight for what I think is right regardless of if the odds are stacked against me.
Are we all tired? Of course. Although college is a turbulent time in our lives, these internship opportunities are some of the best ways in which we gain real-world insight into what we want our lives to be like once we leave the Hilltop. For those of us bogged down by the upper-level classes of our majors, these internships should re-energize us, and help us to answer the question: “Why did I even choose this major in the first place?” Thankfully, my experience with the Texas Democratic Party has done just that. Not only have I been prepared for a potential future in politics, but this internship has given me a real-world insight into what I am studying in my Political Science classes, which makes me enjoy what I study even more.
