On my way to Engage on the first day of my internship, I could feel a mixture of excitement and stress. My thoughts jumped from making sure I had brought everything I needed, to a backup plan (a large coffee and asking for directions) if I did not quickly find my destination. However, as soon as I met the team at Engage, my stress was overtaken by excitement of joining the team!

As a Government major at Georgetown University, I am captivated by the growing number of factors and events that affect governing. From a neighborhood block watch to a city government to a country’s legislature, we all participate in the activity of governing. Indeed, government officials constitute only one part of the influential actors in politics. As the stage expands, outlets for public engagement increase in various new forms. Digital media stands at the forefront of these new forms and Engage recognizes this. Engage’s work in politics, from mobilizing public opinion for a specific cause to analyzing what ‘types’ of individuals shared specific links, initially got me interested in interning here. I can see Engage is working to create change already from my short time here. Engage stands out because it functions as an inclusive and proactive actor in its field.

In the next few months, like my first day, I know that I will still need to rely on coffee and good directions. I hope to take advantage of the opportunities at Engage and not only learn from but also work with the talented, fun group of people here. In describing how I feel by starting a new job, working in a new town and learning more about innovative digital tools and social media strategies, I have a funny mental image of a happy, overly hyped up animated character…then again that could also be a result of the coffee.

Questions for me or what it’s like to be Engage intern? Shoot Engage a message! We’d love to hear from you.

– Francisca