Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
4/26/15
CNS 220 Prof. Robinson
Informational interview #3
For this interview, I spoke with Adam Crowley. Adam graduated
from Wake Forest last year, with a major in political science and minors
in middle east studies, and economics. I found Adam through a
LinkedIn search, in which I searched for people from Wake Forest, living
in the DC area, with positions related to foreign policy. While Adam was
not the first connection to come up in the search, his name stood out,
as he was a former president of my fraternity. When I messaged Adam
I made sure to mention this unique connection, which certainly sparked
his interest. What was also advantageous was the timing of a recent
alumni event for our fraternity. Adam was here on campus for the
event, mutual friends of ours introduced us, and we were able to have
an interview in person.
Adams past experiences and positions are interesting to me, and
are jobs I have been looking into. Adam had a research fellowship
during the summer of 2013 with professor Walldorf in the political
science department. The research looked into public influence in US
foreign policy, an area of interest to both Adam and me. Adam also
worked as a Policy Intern for the Project on Middle East Democracy in
Washington, DC. Adam wrote several reports on the Middle East, and
he conducted research. Adam also had experience studying abroad in
Egypt during their revolution. Currently Adam is an intern on Capitol
Hill, working for Congressman John Garamendi of California. Adam is
also looking into other jobs in business, such as consulting.
In a typical day, Adam will answer calls from constituents who
may be concerned about an issue, or need help from the
congressmans office. Additionally Adam will read posts in the media
about issues relevant to California. Adam will send important news to
other staff members, and write op-eds for the congressman.
Sometiems Adam will brief Congressman Garamendi on certain issues.
Adam notes that his job requires skills in communication, working with
people, and keeping organized. Adam finds meaning in the fact that his
job benefits the public, and his work the government and the country.
He added that to get a position on Capitol Hill, you need to network
and know people working in Congress. Adam taught me that only a few
staffers in a politicians office have a salary. Most staffers and interns
either earn no pay, or are sponsored by grants or even companies. One
staffer, for example, provides the congressman and his office with
information on environmental issues, and her salary is paid by Shell.