Students Blogging Onsite at Presidential National Conventions
August 21, 2012
The Presidential race is starting to heat up and two Emmanuel students are in the middle of the action! The College is sponsoring Kristina Capo '14 and Peter Morency '13, who are attending the 2012 Republican and Democratic National Conventions, respectively, as part of an academic seminar series offered through The Washington Center, the largest independent, nonprofit academic internship program in the country.
As part of the two-week program, students "examine the role of national political conventions in the process of nominating and electing a party's candidates for president and vice president of the United States." Students take part in a weeklong academic seminar before being placed in volunteer fieldwork positions with their respective parties during the convention to gain firsthand knowledge of the election process.
Capo, a political science and global studies major, is currently in Tampa, Fla., for the Republican convention through August 31st. Follow her blog here. This experience is particularly special for her as it represents the first time she will be able to vote in a Presidential election.
"Being here, working directly with the delegates of the party I support, should gain me a better understanding of what I can expect and what the party can do if elected in the future," she wrote from Tampa. "To me, just being a part of this convention during such a paramount election year is an experience I will carry with me forever. If anything, being here will provide me more skills and knowledge of the political realm on a national basis than I could gain from classroom lecture; this allows me to apply that knowledge and interest to an experience that will change and broaden that horizon."
Morency, a political science major, will be in Charlotte, N.C., for the Democratic convention from August 25th-September 7th. To follow his blog, click here.
"I hope to gain a better understanding of the process of nominating someone to a major party," said Morency. "We all know about the primaries, but once it gets to the convention, a lot of people not in the political press don't understand how this works. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I am honored Emmanuel chose me."
