Students interested in joining the campaign trail were given the inside scoop on political and legislative jobs at the third Political Campaign Volunteer/Legislature Internship Expo on Wednesday.
Sponsored by the Institute for Principled Leadership in Public Service, the Smith Career Center and Bradley’s department of political science, a variety of political organizations presented openings for both paid and unpaid internships and opportunities to volunteer for the upcoming election.
Students were able to visit 14 different organizations, ranging from Donald Trump’s and Hillary Clinton’s campaigns, to Illinois state senator David Koehler’s campaign.
Brad McMillan, the executive director of the Institute of Principled Leadership in Public Service, said when setting up the expo, he wanted to be inclusive of campaigns at all levels of government.
“We want to give the students a wide array of options as far as volunteering for campaigns or legislative internships,” McMillan said.
The expo kicked off with a presentation by McMillan and Rick Smith, the director of career development from the Smith Career Center. Next, the organizations gave brief speeches about what they were looking for. After the presentations, students were free to stop by each table and talk with the representatives.
“It’s roughly six weeks before the election, and so this is a natural time for students to start paying attention, wanting to get engaged [with politics],” McMillan said.
Despite not having the size or attendance of the recent Fall Job and Internship Fair, the Political Campaign Volunteer/Legislature Internship Expo was able to give students more in-depth conversations with the representatives.
“This has a very specific political and legislative focus, so we’re aware that it’s going to be attractive to a smaller, unique group of students that have a passion in the public service arena or in politics,” McMillan said.
Freshman Dan Kaminski, who was looking to start the process of getting an internship, said he enjoyed the size and atmosphere of the expo.
“I liked how everyone was easily approachable, how they would sit down and talk with you, answer questions and basically provide answers and opportunities for everything you could ask,” Kaminski said.
The expo also gave Kaminski his first glimpse into the political world.
“I gained the initial step on how to start internship processes, find qualifications for what they are looking for and just get a general idea of what to expect,” Kaminski said.
According to McMillan, interning helps students gain real world experience that can lead them to decide what path they want to take in politics in the future.
“Volunteering on campaigns really helps you see what it takes to get elected to an office,” McMillan said. “Interning in a legislative office really helps you understand the real work of either a state legislative office or a congressional office, and it also looks really good on your resume.”
