WASHINGTON, DC – Students from Westfield State University are taking advantage of an opportunity that only comes around once every four years and for some, only once in a lifetime. As part of a two-week seminar program, nine students will travel to Charlotte, N.C. and Tampa, Fla. to participate in The Washington Center’s Democratic and Republican National Convention Academic Seminars. Westfield State students will join a select group of approximately 250 of their peers from across the country, attending guest lectures presented by prominent political leaders and then volunteering on-site on the convention grounds.
“The national convention, an integral part of the U.S. political process, is a piece of preserved history,” said Mike Smith, president of The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. “The academic seminars teach students about the process, but not from the sidelines. Students learn from within, in the thick of it. We’re grateful to have the support of Westfield State University and applaud them for making this opportunity a reality fortheir students.”
Attending from Westfield State are: Eric Beaulieu, Chicopee; Rachael Cardin, Sutton; Stephanie Close, Peabody; Juan Gonzalez, Holyoke; Jonathan Mercurio, Pembroke; Brittany Moniz, Leominster; Nicholas Smarra, Oxford; and Dylan Welsted, South Deerfield.
Westfield State has been affiliated with The Washington Center (TWC) since 1991. A total of 334 Westfield State students have attended TWC programs and seminars.
Students participating in the seminar will spend the first week of the program learning the history of political campaigns, conventionplanning and procedures and the role of the media. The second half of the program will be spent at the convention, participating in field work assignments and attending convention receptions and rallies.
Juan Gonzalez, ’14, 20, is a political science major who will be attending the Democratic National Convention.
“Since this only occurs every four years, I am really excited for this opportunity to interact withleading political figures and get a better feel for the party,” said Gonzalez.
As part of his pre-meeting prep, Gonzalez reached out to former Holyoke mayoral chief of staff Dori L. Dean who will be a DNC delegate with hopes of connecting on the floor of the convention.
One example of the type of volunteer work the students will be assigned to at the convention is working with the convention’s communication team and assisting with the production of live news coverage at the major networks, writing articles for newspapers like the Dallas Morning News and supporting the logistics of other delegation events and receptions.
“The Washington Center offers our students the extraordinary opportunity to study and work in our nation’s capital. Attendance at the national convention provides real-life, micro insight into how federal government works and the type of careers available,” said Westfield State University President Evan S. Dobelle, who also is former White House Chief of Protocol for President Jimmy Carter.
Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla. is the academic partner of The Washington Center’s Republican National Convention seminar held from Aug. 18 – 31, 2012 and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte is the academic partner of the Democratic National Convention seminar held from Aug. 25 – Sept. 7, 2012. Both schools will host the guest lectures on their campuses.
Since 1984, over 2,500 students from over 300 academic institutions have attended The Washington Center’s two-week academic seminars at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. To date, the convention seminars remain the only national academic program of their kind and size.
