If anyone asked me a year ago today where I thought I would be now, whatever my answer was, I can guarantee it would not have been serving as a Press Intern for the United States Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer. I had originally planned to take a semester abroad somewhere in Europe, like Switzerland or Denmark, but on a whim, I applied to the SUNY Washington Internship Program, and I am so glad that I did.
Senator Schumer attributes most of his success, from his nearly 50-year long career in politics, to the press. He believes that constantly being in the media is his best way of connecting with constituents and ensuring that New York State’s 20 million residents know everything he does and hopes to do for us. Senator Schumer has multiple press teams within New York State and Washington D.C. The two biggest teams in the Senator’s D.C. offices are in fact the National Press and Upstate New York Press teams. National Press works out of the U.S. Capitol which means that a lot of their work focuses on Schumer as the Senate Majority Leader and thus a participating member of the Senate Democratic Leadership.
My specific role was as an Upstate Press Intern, which meant that my work focused on the monitoring of media in the Upstate New York media markets, and more so encompassed everything he did as a New York State Senator. My responsibilities entailed the compilation of any mention of the Senator on specific online news publications, TV stations and newspaper print clips. I had to compile all the daily press releases from every delegate in New York state, in addition to the Governor, Attorney General and Senator Gillibrand. I was also responsible for compiling the front pages of specific New York newspapers that would then be circulated amongst all the staff. My personal political interests entail press and digital communications mainly surrounding campaigns, so this opportunity to work in one of the biggest and notably most intense press offices on the Hill was a perfect learning experience and truly a dream realized.
I was given the chance to write a press release very early on in my internship. Since then, I have drafted several quotes and have seen the framework of my writing utilized to support my supervisors’ other writing responsibilities. Along with writing, I was occasionally tasked with researching and compiling data on multiple topics that were later used for various speeches given by the Senator in Upstate New York.
As much as I genuinely did enjoy all the daily tasks, my favorite part of the internship was attending press conferences. One of the most notable press conferences I attended was on the Senate Steps of the Capitol where Senate Democrats held photos of families from their respective states who have benefited from in vitro fertilization (IVF), while urging the Senate Republicans to pass the Right to IVF Act. I also went to weekly press conferences held by Senator Schumer called Senate Stake Out, where he would speak on that day/week’s topic alongside a few select Senators. I also accidentally attended the GOP Senate Stake Out but that alone was a very interesting experience to see how differently the GOP Leadership conducts their press conferences and how the media/reporters react to it. Overall, seeing press conferences, from behind the scenes alone, has really taught me a lot about my field of interest solely by experiential learning.
Working in D.C., specifically on Capitol Hill, has helped me frame my career goals more clearly. Serving as a Press Intern affirmed my aspirations of working in communications as I have been able to see firsthand the impact media has on public opinion and perception. I have also realized through my tasks that as much as I enjoy writing, and I am actually minoring in literature, it is not necessarily a passion I wish to shape my career around. Thankfully, there are many avenues within press/communications that I am willing and wanting to explore and my internship has given me the necessary starting tools to continue down this path. Through my internship, I have also realized that the Hill itself is a great place to get your bearings in politics, but it is not a forever place of work merely because of its nature. However, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have worked in such a well-oiled machine that is the Press Office of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer as there is no better place to get started in press/communications.
Something that I would tell my year-ago self and anyone who is currently envisioning multiple potential paths in their current college career is to just go for it, apply to this program, apply to that internship, and simply, never halt yourself from seizing an opportunity because you are waiting for the next one. If you are reading this and are currently debating taking that leap whatever it may be, hopefully it’s applying to this program, trust yourself enough to take that chance because you might just surprise yourself, as I did, and end up exactly where you’re meant to be.