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 internship season is nearly upon us. Young women across the country are dutifully working to complete their applications in time to land the internship that might change their lives. FFL is sitting down with a number of interns to reflect on the best internships they’ve had and inspire others to try new things, step outside of their comfort zone, and be the best intern they can be.
Jamie Hahn is a senior at Kennesaw State University studying Organizational and Professional Communication. She founded a Young Americans for Freedom chapter at her university in 2017. Since, she has hosted events like the 9/11 Never Forget Project, Freedom Week, and lectures with Rachel Campos-Duffy, Katie Pavlich, and Michael Knowles. Off campus, Jaime teaches a 2 year old Sunday school class at her church, and enjoys reading Jane Austen. She interned at YAF in the summer of 2019.
How did you find out about the internship opportunities at YAF and what was the application process like?
I’ve been involved in YAF since my sophomore year of college, so I’ve seen them advertise the internship and had friends participate who loved and highly recommended it. The application is online and can be filled out and submitted any time in the year before the deadline. You need 3 references, a writing sample, resume, and transcript.
What was a typical day like there?
Each intern had different tasks we were assigned or volunteered to do for conferences, day to day staff events, research, and student outreach. I was able to do a lot of work on the conferences and write some Freedom of Information Act requests (FOIAs) for the legal department, to look into some universities who seemed to be discriminating against conservative students/organizations on campus.
What was the biggest WOW moment of your internship? Did you get to meet anyone famous?
At our annual National Conservative Student Conference, I looked up in the lobby and saw Ted Cruz walking by with his team and a few YAF staffers. I didn’t get to talk to him, but it was probably still the biggest wow moment for me.
We got to meet Lt. Col. Allen West, Governor Scott Walker, Michael Knowles, Dana Loesch, Marc Short (VP Pence’s Chief of Staff) and Rachel Campos-Duffy.
Vice President Pence and several congressmen spoke throughout the week as well.
Also, unrelated to the internship, but one day YAF’s president had some extra Rolling Stones tickets he was giving away. A few of us got to go see the Stones for free, and that was a crazy moment.
Did you have a small or large internship class? What did you think about that, and how did it shape your internship?
Our numbers changed a little bit throughout the summer. The first few weeks we only had 4, but we ended with 7 total. I think the smaller class was great. It gave us the opportunity to work on all kinds of projects throughout the summer and tailor our tasks to individual strengths. We got along pretty well for the most part. In fact, we continue to be friends despite living in various places across the country.
What kind of mentor-ship did you receive during your internship?
In the application, you get to state the top 3 areas you would like to work in, and you’re assigned a mentor based on that. However, everyone is expected to help with certain things – like conferences – to some degree. My mentor was the staff attorney, which is why I got to do a little bit of research surrounding university policies and write FOIAs.
What was the most valuable lesson you learned during your internship?
It doesn’t matter how smart you are if you won’t do the work you’re supposed to be doing. I certainly wouldn’t consider myself very intelligent (and my GPA can confirm that), but being able to follow directions, being open to criticism, and making the necessary corrections to my work carried me through this internship.
What are three tips you would have for someone else doing an internship there
– Be on time for everything. On time is late. 5-10 minutes early is on time.
– Anticipate. A lot of conference and general office work means anticipating the needs of students and staff and being able to accommodate them before they have to ask.
– Don’t be above anything or anyone. You’re an intern. All tasks assigned to you are tasks you should be willing to do, whether you find them tedious or not.
What’s next for you? How did this internship shape your career plans, your academics, or your idea of what you wanted to do after graduation?
I really enjoyed getting to work on conferences, and I would love to continue doing that in some capacity. This is my last year of college, and I have been able to help prepare events on campus like an upcoming lecture with Ben Shapiro on March 24. It would be an absolute pleasure to work for YAF in the future.
