With senatorial elections on the rise, politicians across the country are caught up in a rush of fundraising and campaigning.  These prospective senators wouldn’t be able to place their name on the ballot without the labor of their campaign managers and interns like me.

This summer, I was hired for a paid internship with the company Sallie Nyhan and Friends working on the Jim Oberweis senatorial campaign.  Sallie Nyhan and Friends is the umbrella company of the North Shore Invitation Station gift store, as well as a division of the Oberweis campaign.  The headquarters are located in the Lake-Waukegan Office Center in Glenview.  Diane McDonald heads the interns under Sallie Nyhan, assigning tasks and managing projects.

On an average day at the office, there were usually only a few interns along with Diane.  I penciled in my name on the sign in sheet to keep track of my hours. Diane and I chatted and she gave me a few jobs to work on for the day.  I worked at a spacious corner desk on one of many Mac laptops.

Sometimes, it was monotonous office work organizing files and sorting papers into binders.  Other times, more thought and research was involved.  In order to keep track of potential donors and supporters, I was given a list or book of names of entrepreneurs, businessmen, and active Republican party members. I had to stalk them in the least creepy way possible.  I looked up their name on the internet and found out their address, home phone, number and any other relevant information.  Spreadsheets were a must.  There could be over 100 rows on one spreadsheet alone.

Other projects were more interactive.  Interns were sent into rooms with a list of phone numbers, calling individuals and asking for support or donations for the campaign.  This was a task I tried to avoid.

Sometimes I saw Christi Lato ’15 at the office as well.  When she wasn’t working on spreadsheets or trying to figure out the copy machine with Diane, Lato often made phone calls. “Making phone calls could be awkward if the people were angry or annoyed,” said Lato. “Many people were nice, but I never knew what to expect.”

Interns were also invited to fundraising events.  Erin Pins ’15, who originally referred me to the job, had the unique opportunity of meeting with Oberweis on a panel of teen interns.  The interns had the opportunity to ask questions about the campaign, fundraising, and how politics work.

“It was really interesting because we learned about politics from a behind-the-scenes view, instead of just hearing about it on TV,” said Pins.

Unfortunately, interns did not get paid in Oberweis ice cream.  We did, however, gain much exposure to politics, communications, and management.  As the senatorial races narrow down, there is no doubt that Jim Oberweis has a strong team of hard workers standing behind him.  Who knows, maybe we’ll finally get some ice cream when the election is over, regardless of whether we win or lose!