This summer, a select group of Staples students spent their time working in Bridgeport, Connecticut for Democratic candidates, Congressman Jim Himes and State Representative Jonathan Steinberg.

Nora Cowherd ’15, who interned for Himes, explained that a lot of their job involved getting a head count. “We make phone calls to voters and try to get a feel for how many votes we have,” she said.

Another student, Max Kaplan ’15, who worked for both Steinberg and Himes, agreed with Cowherd. “I primarily called people on the phone to ask if they were supporting Malloy, Himes, etcetera, this November,” he said.

However, in addition to collecting data to try to better predict the fall elections, interns also tried to connect with both confirmed and potential voters in person, as opposed to solely interviewing over the phone. Cowherd explained that interns would go door-to-door talking to voters about the campaign.

They also did a lot of work at local events. “Interns will sign people in at events, take photographs and other odd jobs at fundraisers,” Cowherd said, and she added that a few interns even got the opportunity to participate in Himes’ campaign commercial.

Even though there was a lot of work that came along with the job, it was still a personally beneficial and enjoyable summer for these students. Olivia Jones ’15, who interned with Himes over the summer, enjoyed working with and for these political figures.

“I had so much fun working there over the summer,” she said. “I got to learn a lot about our political system and meet a lot of extremely interesting people.”

Agreeing and expanding on what Jones said, Cowherd explained that you not only form bonds with people who are involved in politics, but also form bonds with fellow interns.

“You get to know the other interns well, so that makes it really fun,” she said.

Even with the sacrifices that came along with the job, students appreciated the opportunities and the real world experiences they gained. “[I got] to see the political world from behind the scenes,” Cowherd said.