Notes from the Field: Henry Goodwyn '19 

Henry Goodwyn '19 interned at the Communications Department of the House Republican Conference in Washington DC for the Winter 2018 term. The following is an excerpt from his internship report.

Over the course of the winter 2018 term, I interned with the Communications Department of the House Republican Conference in Washington DC. The organization is the leading arm of the Republican Party in terms of messaging, coordination, and outreach with updates on legislation and events that are taking place. The role that I played as an intern allowed me to gain a clearer idea of the day to day life of a politician and allowed me to interact personally with over 75 different members of the House of Representatives.

My responsibilities, more specifically, were focused on conducting research and helping operate the House GOP Studio, in order to aid the offices of other Representatives coordinate their social media outreach. This required me to learn to use video editing, clip editing, and web developing software in order to perform the duties required of me. Additionally, one of my favorite involvements was “Stakeout”, a weekly press conference that I was tasked with organizing and staffing that included the Speaker of the House, the Majority Leader, the Majority Whip, and the House Conference Chair. This part of my internship was positive because it allowed me to experience announcements that would be broadcast on national news networks in person. This gave me the ability to form an opinion on the entirety of what a given member of House Leadership has to say, not just mere soundbites that can be construed in order to incite a reaction.

The knowledge that I have gained through this experience I believe to be invaluable. The opportunity to be on Capitol Hill and the education that I have received through this experience have allowed me to more thoroughly understand not just our government, but also the workplace in general. I am very grateful to the Rockefeller Center whose generous support made this experience possible.