Experiencing a Political Campaign - Virtually

While the pandemic has necessitated virtual internships for some Mods, it has not shut down Madeira's signature program. Students and hosts have adapted to the virtual model while retaining the best of what Co-Curriculum has to offer - students gaining valuable real-world experience. 

During her internship with a political campaign for newcomer Carolyn Bourdeaux in Georgia's 7th District, Julia Skowronek '21 diligently worked on phone and text banking, prepared mail for voters, and conducted donor research. Since the internship was virtual, she completed most of her meetings via Google Meet and Zoom and was given access to all of the necessary software applications so she could complete her work remotely.

While the virtual nature of the internship is different from what she had initially envisioned her Co-Curriculum experience to be, she has learned a great deal and has had an excellent experience. 

"Every intern on the campaign was virtual, which meant there were a few interns from far away. It also meant having more interns was possible, so the campaign was able to achieve more of a grassroots foundation than would have been possible with fewer interns making calls to voters and donors," Julia noted. "We did get to participate in some safe collaborative events, like outdoor rallies and online game nights."

Gaining Valuable Real-World Experience 

Despite the different version of the Co-Curriculum internship this year, Julia learned so much about what it means to help run a political campaign. 

"I think the biggest takeaway I have found is the power in numbers. The finance team was able to raise $2.1 million in the third quarter, which is the most raised in GA-07 ever, by any candidate in a single quarter. 88% of that came from individuals who donated $200 or less, and not a single penny came from corporate PACs. I definitely got bogged-down, feeling that the work I did was not important sometimes, but the nI remembered that the campaign is the definition of grassroots and Carolyn could not win without every person on her team putting in work." 

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2021 issue of Madeira Today. Madeira Today is published for alums, parents, and friends of the School. Click here to read the magazine in its entirety. 

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