Grant Recipient: Hannah Berkman, Class of 2012
Major: Government and French Studies
Organization: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)
Location: Washington, DC
With all eyes on the impending election cycle, candidates are constantly searching for ways to connect to and win over their constituents. At the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), I help Democrats running for seats in the House of Representatives attract voters through the use of the internet. I maintain the DCCC social networking sites such as our twitter account and our facebook pages, thereby rendering constituents more familiar with their representatives as well as the Democratic goals in general. The more people we are able to connect with online, the better feel we have for the electoral environment. When I’m not monitoring these sites, my job consists of going through the thousands of emails the committee receives on a daily basis, with tasks such as maintaining the mailing list, keeping track of trends in the requests and concerns of the populace, and answering questions about Democratic positions on any and every given issue. While the committee sends out several emails a week, it is my responsibility to wade through the hundreds of radical responses from both sides of the political spectrum in order to hone in on the information that could be of use to Democratic candidates. I have learned an inordinate amount about everything related to politics, from the energy required to run a campaign, to the most efficient fundraising tactics, to determining the line of fair play, to basic political decorum. One of the most exciting parts of my job has been getting the opportunity to interact with members of Congress, including talking to my Congresswoman about our district, meeting several members of key House committees, and high-fiving both Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer after a huge victory by the Democrats in the annual Congressional Baseball Game. With my taste for all things D.C. undoubtedly whetted, I know that my future career lies in politics and that I want to continue to study all the fascinating things I’ve been learning about this summer.
