A handful of Wilson High School students are starting out early in politics. In order to make a difference or simply get their feet wet in politics, Wilson students spend their time as interns for Jay Chen’s congressional campaign.
A graduate of Wilson High School himself and Harvard University, Chen is running as the Democratic representative for the 39th Congressional District, an area covering Walnut to Fullerton and La Habra to Chino Hills.
During summer school a couple weeks ago, Chen visited Wilson’s civics and economics classes to introduce his campaign and inspire students to join his campaign.
Student intern senior Katherine Yeh said that she was in awe of what Chen had to say about himself and the campaign.
“It was really cool to hear how successful Chen has already become,” said Yeh. “First of all, he went to my school, then went to Harvard and got elected to the Board of Education for our school district. He’s doing other cool stuff, too, so I like that he’s very active in the community and government. I like what he stands for in his campaign, so all of these aspects drew me to the internship. Jay Chen is an amazing person to work for.”
The campaign’s Field and Outreach Director Patrick Manh Le commented about why he thinks the internship draws in many high school students.
“I think the students were surprised that someone as young as Chen was running for a position on Congress,” said Manh Le. “His energy and passion helped motivate students to take a part in his campaign.”
The intern job description includes canvassing, phone banking, recruiting more interns, and attending fundraisers and events that promote Chen. These sound like mundane office work, but student interns strongly believe that they are gaining valuable skills in variety of areas while contributing to Chen’s campaign.
Not only do interns learn the technicalities of a political campaign, they are also pushed to become more confident and social when they come face to face with potential voters. Interns are taught how to knock on voter’s doors, speak with politeness and enthusiasm, and avoid potential confrontations with irritated people.
“Students are put outside of their comfort zones,” said Manh Le.
Student intern freshman Phillip Law agreed, “It strengthened my confidence and challenged my thinking when I had to talk to new people. I was also able to make friends and learn about politics.”
Interning for Jay Chen for Congress has definitely fostered an interest in the politics field for Wilson High School students. They have gained invaluable skills and insight into what goes on in a congressional campaign. These students are the face of the Jay Chen campaign and they are taking a powerful step in making a difference.
