For PHC students, summer often means taking lessons beyond the classroom. This year, students worked in many professional and political settings, gaining firsthand experience in career fields they may one day want to pursue. Along the way, they put their PHC training to work in research, writing, critical thinking, and communication.
Let's take a look at what six PHC students have to share!
Addie Lee
This summer I was honored to intern for Congressman Andy Barr, who represents Kentucky’s sixth district. This opportunity gave me the chance to learn the mechanisms of a congressional district office and how things work at the federal level. I had just taken Western Civilization, Freedom’s Foundations, and Economics for the Citizen, and these courses shaped my mind by pulling back the curtain on the history of our country and its institutions. I was excited to get to take a small part in the workings of our democracy.
My duties included answering the phone, logging opinions, assisting constituents with casework, and crafting a daily list of relevant news headlines. I also assisted the office’s transfer from paper to electronic files, crafted a list of news outlets for my superior and our D.C. office, and updated a list of Kentucky superintendents and principals, among other things.
The most meaningful part of my job was listening to and logging opinions. This process is ingrained into the very fabric of our Republic, and I felt I held such a sacred trust to faithfully record each opinion for the Congressman. Sometimes I would feel led to pray for the caller. I would silently lift them up in prayer, as I felt the very power of the Holy Spirit fall on me. One day, the thought came to me: What if I was the only person who prayed for them that day? That thought burdened me, and I recalled the words of a sermon, “The only Jesus some may see is the Jesus they see in me.” That became my goal. Whether having a conversation with a staffer, assisting a constituent, or laughing with a fellow intern, my prayer was that the Holy Spirit would speak through me.
Angelina Gibson
I had the wonderful opportunity to intern at the Texas Public Policy Foundation this summer as a member of their Life: Powered Team! My research centered on water policy, in particular, data centers’ use of water in cooling systems and AI tools to identify leaks in utility networks.
As a part of my internship, I had the opportunity to attend weekly Philosophy of Freedom lectures, which were a natural progression of much of what I have learned at PHC, as well as Young Professionals training courses focused on professional development. I also met regularly with policy professionals at the foundation to discuss policy and career trajectory.
As a capstone project, I completed a research project which I defended in front of a mock legislative committee made up of TPPF policy experts. I wrote on Islamic radicalization of youth online, the threat that it poses to national security, and the pressing need for reform.
I also served as a sponsored intern, meaning that a specific donor at the foundation made my internship possible. I feel so blessed to have been chosen to fill this honored position and am so grateful to all that made it happen.
I am so grateful to TPPF for the experience I have gained as a part of this internship program!
Owen Caughron
Abbagael Sullivan
Abbagael Sullivan is one of the three PHC students who had the privilege of interning at the White House this summer.
She served as an intern for the Domestic Policy Council at the White House, enabling her to assist in many areas of the nation’s domestic policy. Abbagael credits her academic experience at PHC with preparing her to enter the workforce as a follower of Christ and a true patriot.
She said, "Serving in the White House this summer was an incredible and life-changing experience."
Erin Siefker
This summer, I interned with two different nonprofits: the Capital Research Center and the 1792 Exchange.
The 1792 Exchange is a nonprofit committed to the ideal of corporate neutrality. It manages a database of companies and their ideological actions, keeping them accountable for their activism and urging them to change course. As an intern there, I had the opportunity to help maintain this database, researching companies’ ideological stances and actions, and to collaborate on other special projects the group launched.
Capital Research Center is an investigative think tank that tracks donations and political activity in the public sphere. Its website InfluenceWatch is widely recognized as a reliable source of information about donors, nonprofits, and public figures. As an intern there, I had the chance to help add to and update this website, which allowed me to refine my research and writing skills.
My time with these institutions has allowed me to build upon the foundations PHC laid. At school, I learned critical thinking, reasoning, and writing skills. These skills have allowed me to thrive in the detail-oriented research and writing my internships have required. I have also been grateful for the training in time management at PHC, as managing both a full-time and a part-time internship takes deliberate planning to execute. I am very thankful for my time at both of these institutions and am excited to continue working in the think tank world.
Chase Hope
I’ve interned this summer with the Daily Mail’s US Politics office, where I was placed by the Young America’s Foundation’s National Journalism Center. Monday through Thursday, my job was to write stories for the Mail, mostly aggregation stories in which I would produce our version of another outlet’s story.
On Fridays, NJC brought in professional journalists, mostly from conservative outlets, to talk to us about their experiences and instruct us in various kinds of journalism. These classes provided a unique perspective on what it takes to be a quality conservative journalist. NJC also expects its interns to complete an independent investigative story, which I’ve been working on since June.
Work at the Mail was fast-paced: on a typical office day, I would write at least two stories. I’ve had over five dozen stories published since May. On less normal days, the Mail would have me visit hearings on Capitol Hill in case some argument or controversy erupted — just the thing our readers would be interested in. Only once did a story come from a hearing, but it was my favorite, partially because I was able to use niche knowledge from PHC’s US History class to improve the story. For the Mail, I’ve also recorded a short video explainer, sweated in a press gaggle during a lengthy media stake-out for a Senate candidate, and done some man-on-the-street interviews.
I’m not sure whether political journalism is my future, but I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities I’ve had and the experience I’ve gained this summer.
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Patrick Henry College exists to glorify God by challenging the status quo in higher education, lifting high both faith and reason within a rigorous academic environment; thereby preserving for posterity the ideals behind the "noble experiment in ordered liberty" that is the foundation of America.
