How would you like to drive Michelle Obama?

One of the highlights of my Emerson experience was driving to McDonald's to buy Sasha and Malia Obama McDonald's Happy Meals. How did I end up waiting in line at Mickey D's? That is a great question!

A year and a half ago I participated in the Presidential Campaign Semester. For 14 weeks I interned on a Presidential Campaign in Manchester, NH. I chose to work for then Presidential Candidate Barack Obama right before the New Hampshire primary. After a brief orientation at the headquarters I was assigned to the Scheduling and Advance department. My primary job was to find events for the Senator and his surrogates to attend. I would look up farmer's markets and county fairs and then place them in an Excel spreadsheet by county. In addition, I worked for the field department in the evenings and did some canvassing.

A few weeks into my internship my boss asked my how I would feel driving one of the surrogates. General Merrill McPeak, former Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force was campaigning for Obama and would be making stops in New Hampshire. Although I was very nervous, I knew this would be a great opportunity. In the end the entire experience was wonderful! General McPeak was an amazing speaker who really connected with his intended demographic. He was incredibly nice to me and thought I was an excellent driver to boot! Just a short while later I was asked to drive Laurence Tribe, a professor of constitutional law at Harvard Law School. Barack Obama had him as a professor while at Harvard Law School. Tribe was a powerful speaker and really connected with undecided voters.

One day I was doing some research on the computer when my boss turned to me and said, "Michelle and the girls are coming into town. How would you like to drive her?" The first thing I remember doing is calling my mom and dad and freaking out for a good ten minutes. Shortly thereafter, I told my boss that I would love to drive them. A few weeks prior I met Senator Obama at an event in my hometown in New Hampshire. I was still reveling in that experience when I was asked to drive Michelle.

I remember pulling up to the airport the day of, beyond nervous at that point. As we traveled from event to event I was amazed at the way she captivated everyone she came in contact with. She was by far one of the best speakers I had ever met. I remember how polite the girls were when people asked them if they could take pictures with them, and thinking how odd that must be for them. The whole entire day I was floating on cloud nine. As we approached our last event I finally gathered up the courage to ask her if I could take a picture with her. I remember her smiling at me and saying yes without any hesitation.

A few days later I would receive phone calls from everyone I knew telling me they saw me, "Hanging out with Michelle on CSPAN". I remember how proud my mother was and how overwhelmed I felt by the whole experience. I know my experience working on the campaign will help me get a job. Even without meeting Michelle and her daughters I learned so many practical things that I have been able to take with me. Beyond that, it is a great talking point with future employers that gets them engaged right away. There were some not so glamorous moments as well. Knocking on doors in the freezing rain and working from 9am-1am calling people across the country. However, I wouldn't trade those experiences, the bad and the good, for anything.