Olivia Antonson is a resident of Thompson, CT, and will be graduating in December of 2021. She is a General Business major with concentrations in Management, Communication, and Civic Leadership & Politics. Olivia is a research intern at Vote Smart in the Public Statements division. She interprets and categorizes statements made by members of Congress and assists with maintaining a major database of press releases and public statements. Oliva started her internship during COVID and is working remotely. With the company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, she is able to partake in this opportunity by working remotely.
When asked about the day-to-day experience, Olivia replied “I start by checking in with my supervisor. I then see what members of Congress are on my assignment for the day. After that, I input each public statement into Vote Smart’s database while properly categorizing the statement. I like my internship because I get to see what different members of Congress are working on. For example, a Senator from Hawaii has different priorities than a Senator from Indiana.”
Oliva was asked about her personal experience with the pandemic and said “Staying busy has been key to helping me get through this pandemic. I like the ability to do remote internships because it opens up opportunities across the country. I also like how there’s no commute – I walk from my bed to my desk.”
She also shared how grateful she was; “I’m grateful for my internship at Vote Smart because it has deepened my interest in the nonprofit sector. I’m also grateful for Nichols College for preparing me well for the application and interview process and for reminding me of the benefits of having multiple internship experiences on my resume.”
Some advice Olivia would give to others is “to be open-minded when starting an internship. Make connections while you’re interning. Internships are a great way to learn more about an industry before you graduate.”
We would like to thank Oliva for taking the time to talk about her experience interning during the pandemic. The CPDC wishes you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
