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Monday, January 22, 2007
 
Two Central Michigan University political science
students got the chance to be on the front line of the
political process in the White House during a
tumultuous year for the U.S. government.
Out of thousands of applicants from across the
country, Lake Orion senior Timothy Doescher and
Charlevoix graduate student Tim Burger both had
internships at the White House in 2006. Doescher
worked in the White House Freedom Corps during the
spring semester, while Burger worked in the Office of
Presidential Messages during the fall semester. Each
fall, spring and summer, the White House accepts only
100 interns.
"The White House internship program is very
competitive," said Larry Sych, CMU political science
professor and internship program director. "The fact
that we had two interns accepted into the program in
the past year speaks well of our program and how well
we are able to prepare people."
Doescher performed hands-on service projects while
working with the Freedom Corps, a coordinating council
among national service programs, nonprofit
organizations and volunteers to help encourage
volunteers.
"We were the top of the umbrella for pretty much all
government service, so a lot of my time was spent
researching different nonprofit organizations and the
nonprofit sectors of major organizations," Doescher
said.
The experience was especially eye opening for Burger,
a 36-year-old with a bachelor's degree in engineering
management who did not see himself as typical intern
material. His internship responsibilities included
logging requests from groups for recognition of
milestone anniversaries and special events and
producing White House messages for religious holidays
such as Ramadan, Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa.
"Working at the White House has given me a confidence
that I never knew I was capable of and made me realize
that if I set my mind to something I can achieve it,"
Burger said. "Age does not matter if you have the
determination."
CMU political science students conduct internships in
a variety of positions, including working with city
managers, county prosecutors, legislators, senators
and members of Congress. Numerous students get
involved with the campaigns of political candidates
during election years. Many graduates of CMU's program
are now working in the Michigan Legislature or are
staffers in Lansing.
"The internship program helps students make contacts
and exposes them to public service," Sych said. "Our
interns have better awareness and self-confidence in
their abilities."
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