Kochian 1

Jacob Kochian

Mrs. Lucarelli

Honors Senior Seminar

5 June 2019

Spring Reflection Paper

At my Spring Internship at the Monmouth County Democrats Office, I have grown as a

person in many ways. I have learned how to operate in a much more laissez-faire office with far

less employees. I have also learned how to operate in a career that is dictated entirely on public

perception, versus my last internship whose success was dictated entirely on performance. More

specific to the Monmouth County Democrats Office, I learned how a major political party - one

of the most influential organizations in the world - operates in my own county. I learned

firsthand how the sausage gets made and how those people who actually govern my

neighborhood get elected.

I also learned about myself during my internship. For one, I learned that I would much

rather work for someone who was closer to my age group than someone who was a generation

older. At my past internship, my mentor was significantly older than I, having his own kids and a

family, and as such there was an omnipresent air of awkwardness while we conversed with him,

knowing we did not have identical interests or values. Comparatively, my mentor in my Spring

Internship was a millennial, recently out of college and not yet settled. I found that it was easier

to work for her and that I shared similar values and ethics with her as well. Second, I learned that

I do enjoy doing some work as a team versus independently. At my last internship, the workload

consisted mainly of data management and recording, which is easily done by a single person.
 Kochian 2

However, when you are working on a campaign and there are so many moving parts and bases to

cover, it is beneficial to delegate roles and assignments. Finally, I learned that work comes easier

when you are invested in the outcome. At my last internship, I had no stake in the work I was

doing; who cared if I logged this particular road permit into the system or not? However, since I

am invested in local political elections, the work I did felt more rewarding.

Similar to my last internship, my internship this semester helped increase my enjoyment

of my high school experience. As stated last semester, doing anything unique is a fantastic relief

to the tedium of a day in school, which is relatively mind-numbing when compared to my

internship.

Activities at my internship that were particularly important to me were the email blasts

that I would create as well as the convention that I volunteered at. The email blasts are important

to me because they are communication from an important political entity to everyday Americans,

and manipulation of information is key to any political success. Looking at what I was saying

from a public relations perspective while also ensuring that I got the point across was a unique

experience that I found interesting. The convention that I volunteered at was also important to

me because I got to see what happens in a closed door Democratic event, where only important

party people and delegates can attend. This was an interesting activity that shed insight into how

our party operates when public relations don’t matter.

My most valuable internship experience was the day that I spelled an assemblyman’s

name wrong on a flyer and almost ruined a campaign ad. This experience is the most valuable

because it reminds me of how important the minutiae and small details matter in a career that is

based entirely on optics. Overall, I greatly enjoyed my Spring Internship.