While most of the DNC audience will be turning to their TV screens, internet and phones to see what’s going on in Philadelphia, some Temple students will have the opportunity to witness history being made right in front of their eyes.
“There’s something for everybody,” says junior Alexa Monteleone, who will be interning at the DNC all week long greeting delegates, elected officials, and media representatives among her other tasks with Pennsylvania State Delegates.
Once she found out on a SEPTA subway train that she had received a scholarship to intern at the convention, she couldn’t contain her excitement. “I screamed. I cried. I made a huge scene. I was shaking. The woman next to me was just ‘what is wrong with this girl?'”
Monteleone, a former Temple Diamond Gem, isn’t the only Temple student that’s learning the inner workings of a convention first-hand. Senior Natasha Tax is beginning her final year as an undergrad strong, traveling to Cleveland, Ohio for the Republican National Convention.
“It’s going to be groundbreaking,” Tax said in an interview months before her internship began. “It’s just going to be so incredible to be there in person. This all has the potential to change American political history, so to have a hand in it as an intern is really exciting.”
Tax, who is a political science and Spanish double major, received the opportunity to intern with Univision, for whom she’s doing translation among other things. As someone who was inspired to get into politics because of the pro-life movement, Tax sees herself being another step closer to making a difference on Capitol Hill through this once-in-a-lifetime internship experience.
Both Tax and Monteleone are part of hundreds from across the country who are interning at the conventions through the Washington Center, a company based in Washington D.C. that connects interns with politically-tied organizations.
“Part of me wants to see where I see myself after college. Where I want to look for a job,” says Monteleone. “I’m just beyond excited.
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