UM junior Mary Clark was recently awarded a summer internship in Washington, D.C. to work on the campaign team for U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kennedy Shriver.
Only twenty students from the United States are awarded this internship.
Clark is double majoring in history and political science, with a goal to attend law school. Clark says she is very familiar with the Kennedy family.
“I love the Kennedys,” she said. “I am really looking forward to working directly with a member of that family.”
Clark will be performing numerous publicity duties for the campaign team, including making phone calls and going door-to-door with Shriver.
Clark will stay for free with democratic supporters who have opened their homes to interns in order to help the campaign.
There is no actual pay, but Clark said she does not mind.
“The experience is worth more than any amount of money they could offer me,” she says.
Clark got the internship only with UM’s help, she said.
“I wouldn’t even have known about the internship opportunity if I hadn’t gotten an e-mail about it from the University,” she said. She applied for the internship online after reading about it in a school-wide e-mail.
Gregory Singleton, Assistant Dean of Students, wrote her a recommendation.
“I’m the only reason she got the internship!” Singleton joked. “No, really, Mary has all the characteristics needed for a project like this, and lots of leadership experience. I had nothing but positive things to say about her.”
Clark said the real reason she got the internship was because of the leadership skills she obtained while at UM.
She is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, current vice-president of Panhellenic, co-chair of Greek Week, and has served on UM’s Senate.
“Mary is a proven leader in the Greek community. In addition, she is an outstanding student leader,” Singleton said.
These activities indicate that Clark possesses the exact qualities needed for this kind of internship: public relations skills, a knowledge of politics and law, and a good work ethic, Clark said.
“I owe it all to UM,” she said. “My professors, friends, and older student role models helped me develop my leadership skills in so many ways.”
Clark said she especially admires Jose “Pepi” Diaz, president of UM student government.
“Pepi is such a great role model. He is involved in everything and does it all well,” Clark said.
Diaz was accepted early admission to Columbia law school, which is also Clark’s graduate school of choice.
“I’m hoping this internship will give me the leading edge when I’m applying to grad school,” she said.
Clark plans to study intellectual property, or copyright law. She will begin her internship in May.