Over the summer, I completed a seven-week digital fellowship with the Mark Warner for Virginia reelection campaign. The fellowship involved canvassing, email fundraising, digital content creation, video editing and media pitching. I heard about the program through Handshake, and it's part of a larger organization called the National Democracy Summer School.
As someone with no background in politics, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I entered a fast-paced environment that challenged me to learn and grow. Sometimes a video needed to go up on social media the next day, so I had to produce and edit a script, and then film and edit it with only a day’s notice. This gave me a good sense of what the political environment is like and how crucial timing is. There were also time-sensitive videos that had to be produced and edited while the topic was still relevant and new.
The program was student-run in every way. We were the face of the campaign’s support accounts and social media presence. Supporter accounts are community-run, campaign-supported TikTok and Instagram accounts that highlight student voices and perspectives of voters across the state. All the content was produced by us, the student Fellows, and showcased our stories in connection with the campaign as part of the content. This approach gave the support accounts a more authentic voice to resonate with voters.
Some of the highlights from the experience were meeting multiple Virginia politicians, including Sen. Warner (D-VA). One of my favorite moments was participating in a roundtable conversation with Warner, state Del. Lamont Bagby (D-14th) and the other Fellows at the Democratic Party of Virginia headquarters in Richmond, Virginia. That same day, I conducted a three-question interview with Warner that I clipped and edited for social media.
When I was initially deciding on a major before coming to college, I thought about Political Science, but I didn’t think it was for me. Instead, I pursued a double major in Media Arts and Design and Communication Studies. But I still wanted to eventually dive into the political arena. I applied for this fellowship despite it being outside of my studies, because I wanted to diversify my skill set and experiences to make the best choice for myself post-graduation.
Overall, being part of a student-run, grassroots digital organizing team was transformative and gave me hands-on experience in digital content creation for a political campaign. I would recommend this fellowship to other Dukes. It was very flexible and mostly remote, I gained experience working on a political campaign, and the connections I made will guide me in my future career endeavors.
The most impactful part of these experiences were the in-person opportunities to canvass and meet politicians. They made me feel directly connected to the campaign’s efforts. Following the fellowship, I was offered an intern position with the Warner team this fall.
I plan to continue to work in politics and specifically in political media. I have not only expanded my skill set, but also have gained a greater interest in the digital content space of public service.