NAU senior Kate Conway heads to her office during her semester-long internship at the White House last semester.

White House experience opens mind and doors for NAU intern

Most interns spend their first day on the job getting acquainted with their supervisors, learning the daily routine and perhaps fetching someone a cup of coffee. Kate Conway, on the other hand, spent her first day drafting briefing papers for U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Conway, an NAU senior political science major and public relations minor, has just completed a semester-long internship at the White House in its Office of Public Liaison.

Conway, who graduates in May, decided to apply for the position after hearing her public relations case studies professor Astrid Sheil discuss the importance of internships.

White House intern Kate Conway stands by as President Bush arrives in his helicopter on the south lawn.

The application process was highly competitive, with the White House choosing just 100 of roughly 1,600 applicants each spring, summer and fall. "It's phenomenal that Kate got in," Sheil said. "It really shows how much talent, drive and desire she has. This type of experience can change a student's career path and open up all sorts of doors."

During the internship, Conway's duties included coordinating large events, briefings with senior administration officials and public bill signings.

For events dealing with the economy, free trade, Iraq, Darfur, India and the Jewish community, Conway was the point of contact.

"The work atmosphere at the White House is very fast paced," Conway said. "It is a high-energy, efficient, deadline-oriented environment. It's vital that you're able to hit the ground running as an intern in that work setting."

Conway's position allowed her to work with senior administration officials "at least weekly," she said. She facilitated nearly a dozen briefings or bill signing ceremonies for President Bush, and rubbed elbows with such high-profile figures as Vice President Dick Cheney, senior political advisor Karl Rove, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, counsel to the president Harriet Miers, and Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling.

For Conway, though, the most memorable part of her experience was joining Cheney, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and the U.S. Cabinet members on the south lawn on the five-year anniversary of Sept. 11 for a national moment of silence.

"I stood there thinking of the lives lost, the families who mourn and the pain this nation felt," she said. "A sense of patriotism overcame me. I saw the flag waving and at that moment I had an epiphany. I knew that right there among the President's Cabinet is where I belonged. This is the career path I intend to follow, and this is the job I will someday have."

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