Katherine Wright, INTA 2008, a member of the Georgia Tech Swimming and Diving team, actually completed 4 internships during her time here at Tech. She interned with Merrill Lynch, in the office of Senator Saxby Chambliss, in the office of Representative Jim Marshall, and with the Israeli Consulate to the Southeast. We asked her a few questions about her internship in the Washington office of Senator Saxby Chambliss, and how her time at Tech helped her succeed in her internship.
What do you enjoy most about your internship and what do you find most challenging?
I really enjoyed every aspect of my internship with Senator Saxby Chambliss, but I would say what I enjoyed most would be learning the political process first hand. I got to witness hearings, floor sessions, staff meetings, and the general everyday activities of a Senatorial office. The hardest, most challenging portion was communicating with constituents. I worked there during the immigration debates of the summer of 2007. We fielded thousands of calls a day from all walks of life. While this was the most challenging it was also great fun because I learned so much about Senator Chambliss’ constituents.
Tell us about an experience that made an impression on you during your internship.
The experience that most sticks out is the immigration debate. It was incredibly exciting and as a result, I was able to take on much more responsibility than previous interns. We were able to communicate directly with constituents and participate in full staff meetings with the Member present among other things. It was a once in a lifetime experience that I will certainly never forget.
In what ways did your time at Tech prepare you for the internship?
Tech prepared me for this work through the research and writing experience that I received in my course work. Also, the faculty and staff were tremendously helpful and full of guidance in my choices in internships and the application process.
I love the political arena and would like to have a career in the private political sector. After graduation, I plan on working a fellowship at the Governor’s Office. I would also like to attend graduate school and hopefully on day work in political consulting in Washington D.C.
