How She Got That Internship: Kelley’s Internship At The Heritage Foundation

How She Got That Internship is a series that highlights conservative women’s internships in various organizations and positions to inspire the next generation of conservative women to lead. Did you, or a young woman that you know, have an internship experience you want to share with our readers? Submit it in this form and we will contact you if we think it would be a great fit for the series. 

Summer is perhaps the best time for young leaders to invest in themselves by gaining valuable work experience, namely through internships. FFL is sitting down with a number interns to reflect on this year’s highlights and encourage more young leaders to apply for next year’s internships.

Kelley Babphavong is a junior at Harvard, studying Government with a secondary field in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia and a language citation in French. She is interested in the impact of communism in the post-Soviet region and political campaigns. Kelley has been active in the conservative realm at Harvard through leadership positions in Harvard Right to Life, Harvard Republican Club, and the Network of Enlightened Women. She has been interviewed on Fox News (Fox Business and Fox & Friends), CBS, NPR, BBC, and ABC; quoted in the Boston Globe and the Atlantic; and published a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed. In her spare time, she loves to go bowling and attend concerts!

How did you find out about the position, and why did you decide to apply?

I found out about the Heritage Foundation through a recruiting event on campus and some friends who had previously interned at Heritage. I looked a lot into what Heritage stood for and their internship program and I decided I wanted to apply to see if I could work at such a prestigious institution.

What was the driving force behind choosing to work at as an intern for the Heritage Foundation?

I decided to work at Heritage for a couple of reasons. One main one was the impact that they have — Heritage produces truly tangible results, and they were just ranked the #1 think tank for impacting public policy for the second year in a row. I wanted to deepen my intellect rather than just work, and Heritage provided that opportunity. Another reason for me was that it had a large community and was paid.

Had you interned before? If so, where?

I had interned before for a couple of political campaigns, but never before for a think tank. Interning at Heritage led me to find another think tank to intern at during the school semester though.

Describe a typical day at your internship.

No day looked the same at my internship and looked different for each intern! Heritage divides people into various departments, so you could be doing Development work, Economics Research, Policy Promotion, or much much more. Whatever you want to do, they probably have a department for it. I specifically interned in the Truluck Center for Leadership Development, which focuses on job placement initiatives and employee training program (it’s under the policy promotion department). A typical day could be going in at 9 AM to research various employee training programs and present my findings, then meet a Heritage employee at 11 AM to conduct a feedback view and analyze that data, and then go to a First Principles Lunch where we’d learn about conservative political philosophy. After that, I could come back and work on a database for the job placement initiative and set up for an event! No two days were the same, but that’s what I loved.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of working for the Heritage Foundation?

The Young Leaders Program at Heritage truly pours a lot into their interns, cares about them, and makes the internship experience great. They complement the real work experience (yes, you’re not just getting coffees — you’re doing tangible work) with weekly lecture series, trips with fellow interns to places like Mount Vernon, policy briefings, and more. They care about growing and solidifying your conservative values as well as truly incorporating you into their organization. I worked with 60+ other bright minds this past summer and loved Heritage! The Young Leaders Program also pairs you with a mentor, and mine was truly brilliant; I’m still in touch with my mentor today!

What was the biggest WOW moment of your internship?

One of the biggest WOW moments of my internship was when I was working at the reception desk handing out name tags and Newt Gingrich came up to me! I looked and him and thought to myself “Wow. I don’t need to ask him for his name.” He saw my nametag and asked me what background my last name comes from! Heritage has so many prominent people revolving through the doors constantly and this was one funny example.

Looking back over your time in the internship, what’s been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned as a result of your time working for the Heritage Foundation?

I’ve learned more about the Conservative Movement generally and how public policy can be impacted with good people.

Would you apply to work at the Heritage Foundation again, and what advice would you give to future applicants?

100%! I loved my entire experience at the Heritage Foundation and would highly recommend it to anyone. The advice I would give to future applicants is to be yourself and show your passion about the conservative cause!

How She Got That Internship is a series that highlights conservative women’s internships in various organizations and positions to inspire the next generation of conservative women to lead. Did you, or a young woman that you know, have an internship experience you want to share with our readers? Submit it in this form and we will contact you if we think it would be a great fit for the series.