Political Campaign: An Interview with an Intern

Jessica Montella is a 21-year-old student at New York University, who interns for the Hilary Clinton Campaign. She and I went to school together, and I thought it would be interesting to get a glimpse into the political world from her perspective. Below is an interview with her on her experiences.

Q. How did you become an intern? What process did you go through? Were there any special qualifications, or an application process?

A. I originally heard about the internship program through a politics professor, who gave me the email of the internship coordinator at the New York Office for the campaign. I received a response within a few days and was directed to the campaign website, where I would find an application for an internship. The application was somewhat intense. It required a physical application with your standard biographical information on it, two personal recommendations, a college transcript, as well as a personal statement indicating what my interest was in the campaign, why I wanted the position, etc. I then had to mail the complete application to the New York Office. I received a phone call a couple of weeks later, requesting a phone interview. I was hired over the phone after the interview and received information about my schedule, location, and office dress code later on.

Q. Were there any other candidates that you considered? Why did you choose Clinton?