Behind the Scenes at the RNC

Alison Mueller ’18

Alison (Lisi) Mueller ’18, Republican National Convention

Major:

Educational studies.

Internship title:

Official proceedings intern.

What I did, day to day:

Before the convention, I got everything ready for the all the speechwriters, scriptwriters, transportation people and the managers of the speakers. The week of the convention, I escorted speakers to makeup and rehearsal rooms and to the stage; I also escorted their family members to their assigned seats on the floor. They included Dana White, Willie Robertson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Mary Fallin, Renee Sloan and Marsha Blackburn.

Other internships:

I worked in my town’s delegate office during my senior year of high school. I hope to intern on Capitol Hill next summer.

Most valuable part of this experience:

Meeting so many incredible people that leave their extremely important jobs for two weeks to help make the convention happen. Except for three staffers, everyone who worked backstage for Official Proceedings was a volunteer, including all of the speechwriters. It's cool to see such a commitment to the GOP, even if the convention wasn't for the most popular nominee.

Advice to students considering internships:

Always work hard, never miss a day and meet as many people as you can. Also, remember that mistakes are inevitable—just brush them off and do better next time.  

How this internship has helped me:

I have become way more disciplined. I worked every weekend for five weeks.

Post-Dickinson plans:

I hope to work in charter schools in areas of the country that are in need, and then work in education policy at a national level.

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Published August 3, 2016