BY: Piper O'Keefe, NWPC Development Intern
In this post, Piper reflects on her experience interning for the National Women's Political Caucus for the Summer of 2015.
I
was incredibly excited when I discovered the internships offered through the
National Women’s Political Caucus because NWPC is an organization that truly
reflects my belief that more pro-choice women from both parties need to be elected
to all levels of government. Being a Development Intern with NWPC for the
summer has meant that I get to spend the summer in Washington, DC (which is great
in itself!) and has given me innumerable opportunities. I have been able to
work both in and out of the office furthering women’s equality, and I have learned
more than I ever could in a classroom. From meeting with women leaders from across
the nation and world to helping to plan and run a major convention, my
internship has been packed with more amazing experiences than can even be described.
One
of the exciting opportunities I had early this summer was meeting with a
delegation of women political leaders from Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey,
and Ukraine. We primarily talked with them about what political participation is
like for women in the United States and their respective countries.
Interestingly, the women shared that in most of their countries there really is
no abortion debate in politics- almost everyone is simply pro-choice. They were
shocked and confused that the issue of abortion is still a topic of political
debate in the US. Until that meeting, the only experience I had with women in
politics internationally was comparing statistics; I really enjoyed getting to
personalize the facts by meeting these women and hearing what their involvement
in politics in other countries has been like.
The
NWPC’s 22nd Biennial Convention took place in Washington, DC this July and the theme for the weekend was 50/50 by 2020: Marching Towards
Parity. NWPC members from around the nation came together for three
days to elect new national officers and attend panels, events, and workshops
filled with incredible speakers. As an intern, I helped to plan the convention
beforehand and then actually run it. It was incredibly rewarding to see events that
we spent months preparing for unfold successfully before my eyes. The Good Guys
Gala, for example, was a seated dinner where we honored four men who are committed
to helping women reach equality- Former NWPC Political Director Nick Demeter;
the late Dr. Howard Lessner; Baltimore City Councilman, Nick Mosby; and
Missouri State Representative Stephen Webber. The Keynote Speaker for the event
was Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby. Working from the beginning
of the summer to help to get nominations for these awards, contact the
honorees, put together their bios, order the awards, and create the event
program made hearing their speeches and meeting them an even better experience
than it would have otherwise been.
Interning
with NWPC has been great for so many reasons- instead of just learning about
women in politics, I have met and helped support women in politics; instead of
just attending a convention, I have helped to plan and run a convention; and so
much more. It has been a pretty incredible summer, to say the least!
To apply for a Fall 2015 internship with NWPC, click here: http://www.nwpc.org/intern
