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Government and law major Katherine Dranoff ’09 (Bala Cynwyd, Pa.) spent her summer in Washington, D.C. as an intern with the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Dranoff’s internship experience was supported by the Class of 2007 internship endowment fund.
Working in constituent services for the DNC, Dranoff’s primary responsibility was to read and respond to mail. Although many letters were straightforward requests for information, according to Dranoff, some pieces of correspondence were more unusual. For example, Dranoff recalls receiving some poetry in the mailbag. She also dealt with complaints from frustrated party members and other types of letters.
This is the second year that Dranoff has participated in the unpaid internship program. Last year she worked in the finance area of the DNC, where she helped coordinate and run fund-raising events.
Dranoff said the atmosphere at the DNC this summer differed somewhat from what she experienced the previous summer. “Last year people were more focused on the midterm elections,” she said. “This year a lot of people are working on the campaigns.”
Although Dranoff was somewhat removed from the campaign strategizing, she and others in the constituent services department did have some opportunities to get involved with that aspect, as they were often called upon to support other areas of the operation. “We were the go-to interns if people needed help,” she said.
Dranoff said that her involvement with constituent services has given her insight into how to interact with people and influence their decision-making processes.
On top of the 40-hour weeks that Dranoff worked for the DNC, she held down a catering job at the Kennedy Center.
After Lafayette, Dranoff plans to sign up for the “Teach for America” program for a year, and would then like to go to law school.
Dranoff is the student director for Students for Barak Obama, a member of the College Democrats, and a member of LEAP (Lafayette Environmental Awareness and Protection).