Evan Setter is a sophomore political science major.  Setter was an intern in Vice President Mike Pence’s office.  Newsletter editor Maria J. Albo interviewed Evan.

Q. Why did you choose political science as a major and do you think that it prepared you for your future goals?

A. I have always been fascinated with the history of different civilizations and the way they administered and governed their states. I see them as examples on which we can learn from, the good and the bad, and improve our own current system. I chose political science as my major as it was what would allow me to study the innerworkings of different systems of governance and politics from many different perspectives. It also played right into my career of choice as a military intelligence officer in the United States Army. Gaining the experience from what I will learn from the classes and opportunities here at UNG will aid me in my pursuit of understanding and utilizing different forms of governance.

 

Q. What made you decide to apply for this opportunity as an intern in the White House?  Tell us about the application process.

A. I received an email last April that recommended applying for the White House Internship Program for the fall term. I followed the link provided and began to fill out pieces of the application throughout the following days. The beginning was rather generic, (why you are applying, where are you from, etc.), but was followed by what positions I would prefer in the program and finally a few short answer questions regarding different aspects of what they were looking for; past leadership positions, reasons for ambition, and other questions concerning my values. A month and a half passed by and I received an email requesting a short phone interview from a staff member within the Vice President’s Office. I can assure you right before the call I’d never paced back and forth with such nervousness! A few more weeks went by when I suddenly got another email congratulating me on my acceptance into the program. That was an experience in and of itself that I am blessed to have gone through.

Q. How did your internship relate to your major?

A. Being a political science major, I could think of no better internship to gather in person experience than the White House Internship. I was able to relate what I had picked up in previous political science and global issues classes to what I was observing day to day. It was the best hands-on opportunity for a political science major to have.

Q. Describe how your coursework and other experiences during your time at UNG have helped prepare for this experience.

A. Because I had just completed my freshman year, I had only a handful of political science classes before I went to D.C. I was however able to apply what I had learned to the various events that where occurring around D.C. at the time to what I had learned. For instance, I was able to see how the White House staff reacted to the confirmation hearings for now Justice Kavanaugh and how we had learned about the ever present struggle between the three branches of government. I had also done some campaigning for the GA secretary of state race during the primaries before the internship. It gave me something to compare to as I could see the differences and similarities between state and local governments.

Q. If you had to provide a blurb about your courses, the faculty in the PSIA department, and your experience as a major, what would you say?

A. As a political science major, my experience with the UNG political science department has provided in-depth and straightforward teaching from some resourceful and enthusiastic professors.

Q. What advice would you give current political science majors.

A. If anyone wants to get the most out of their political science experience, I strongly advise pursuing what intrigues you and what you want to learn more about. The best advice I learned during my time at the White House was to volunteer and go after whatever interests you. That’s not to say that the uninteresting topics aren’t important in shaping your education, but the more enthusiastic you are about the subject matter, the more enjoyable and worthwhile the experience becomes.

Q. What surprised you the most about your internship or experience in DC in general—-feel free to share (or not) any “secret info” you would like to share….

A. A few insider tips and tricks that I picked up in D.C. vary. If you are interested in working/interning anywhere inside the beltway, you need to be well versed and well written. They would rather take someone who did a few extracurriculars but can represent themselves well on paper and in person, rather than the resume filler with every club in the book. If you are just interested in finding the best places to go while in D.C., I cannot recommend the Smithsonian and its several museums enough. I did pick up, that some of the old security guards and curators that have been there throughout the years love to take small groups “behind the scenes” or even up on top of the capitol building if they feel in the mood.

Evan was featured by UNG news earlier this year:

https://ung.edu/news/articles/2019/01/recent-alumnus-and-cadet-serve-as-white-house-interns.php