Although Collinsville native Makayla McDonnell was born and raised in a small town, she had big goals. Her passion was sports marketing, and last December, she graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in public relations and sports media. For three years there, she worked in marketing/fan engagement and loved it.
But sports wasn’t her only hobby. McDonnell also had a strong interest in national politics.
This June, while watching a political briefing on TV, McDonnell thought about how interesting it would be to work for the political press, handling communications and media. Or even more exciting, to work for United States Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt!
McDonnell knew that the White House had an internship program, but it had never really been on her radar. Out of curiosity, she looked it up and learned that it was a three-month program offered in the summer, fall and spring. Interns would live in Washington, D.C. and work out of the White House. And applications for the fall internship program were due in two weeks. What perfect timing!
For the next two weeks, McDonnel worked on her application (which included ranking her top five preferred offices to work for – she listed press office as her number one pick). In July, she had two phone interviews, after which she was selected for the program. She was to start in September.
McDonnell found a long-term hotel in Virginia where she would live, taking a 40-minute Metro ride to and from Washington, D.C. each day. She moved to the area not knowing a single person and not quite knowing what she was getting herself into, but she was excited for the possibilities.
“I thought as an intern, I might just be stuck in a closet somewhere,” McDonnell said. “But that was definitely not the case.”
McDonnell was the only intern selected for the press office. Her role was to assist Press Secretary Leavitt and her executive assistant with whatever they needed. Tasks ranged from drafting op-eds to creating press reports, and – the biggest part of the job – keeping up with the continuous 24-hour news cycle. McDonnell was assigned the role of monitoring social media sites so she could relay to the team what outlets were saying.
“All of the tasks were really interesting. Every day was completely different. But mostly, it was really incredible to be trusted with those projects,” McDonnell said. “There are times I would finish a project and think, ‘Wow! I just did that?!’ It was a great experience.”
As for the job itself, McDonnell said it was generally what she expected, but on a much broader scale.
“I knew that the people I’d meet would be hard-working people, but they exceeded my expectations,” she said. “Everyone does so much for you. Supervisors were so eager to teach me and make connections for me. It was amazing.”
Going from small-town Collinsville to the hustle and bustle of D.C. was a big adjustment, but McDonnell loved the experience. Although she did see quite a few well-known politicians up close, she didn’t get to speak to many of them. Regardless, the people she did interact with left an impression.
“Everyone there – people, politicians, interns – everyone was so welcoming,” McDonnell said.
It was a strange time to be in Washington. Just a few weeks after she arrived, government workers were furloughed from October through the second week of November.
“Nobody was working, so we made the most of our time there by going to workshops,” McDonnell said. “It was a strange time to be there.”
McDonnell has been back in Collinsville for five days. Her family, who has been extremely supportive of this venture, is proud of her and happy to have her home. But being back in Collinsville has been an adjustment for McDonnell – like realizing she has to drive a car rather than take the Metro.
Although it was bittersweet to leave Washington, McDonnell left several doors open. While she still loves sports media, her sights are definitely set on a future career in political public relations. She’s hoping her next steps lead her back to D.C.
With the start of the new year, she expects several government agencies to experience some turnover. Many of McDonnell’s contacts at the White House are keeping an ear out for job opportunities for her. She’s also keeping in touch with multiple people at different places in D.C. with the hopes of finding a long-term job in her new chosen field.
“I hope all roads lead to D.C.,” McDonnell said.