Kinnari Sejpal (left) and Nandita Shetty

By Jordan DeBraal
Senior, PR

Two department graduate students gained media experience at the 2008 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Denver and the Republican National Convention (RNC) in St. Paul.

Nandita Shetty and Kinnari Sejpal, both master's students in Public Affairs, were two of 35 university students selected to participate in the Aug. 15 to Sept. 5 Leadership in Communication Program at the national political conventions.

The two students also received the Brian Lamb Scholarship from the Washington Center. The scholarship is a $5,500 award given to select Washington Center interns funded by C-SPAN founder and department alumnus Lamb.

Shetty said that in the first week of the seminar, the interns attended classes, lectures, conducted field work and were given assignments to prepare them for the next couple of weeks at the conventions. In the remaining two weeks of the seminar, the interns attended both conventions working for various media companies.

The calm before the storm

Working with FOX News, Sejpal said she was part of the network product team and was located at FOX News' skybox the whole time during the conventions.

 "I made sure that we were on schedule, guests were OK and did sound testing," Sejpal said. "I met a lot of interesting people and witnessed all of the action happening."

Shetty was assigned to CNN and said she worked on similar things as Sejpal, such as escorting guests, doing sound checks and assisting with the AM Morning Show. She also said that CNN did not set up their studio in a skybox, but instead transformed bars outside of the convention centers for their studios.

"At CNN, I did everything from A-Z," Shetty said. "The most interesting part of working there was that CNN went all out for marketing. They even brewed their own CNN beer."

Shetty reviews her notes

After the experience, Sejpal said that the one thing she really took away was watching the media complete their daily tasks.

"They are so organized and put a massive show together," Sejpal said. "It happens at such a large magnitude and I was just impressed."

Shetty said she was amazed by the energy at the DNC. "The city was going through a lot due to recent events from the hurricane, and it was a contrast to see the convention buzzing."

The two students also noted differences at each of the conventions. Shetty said that the DNC crowd was more calm and composed, but the RNC crowd was more aggressive and people were screaming.

Sejpal said that she is interested in how media operate and felt that the internship fit with what she wants to do. In the future, she sees herself working in public relations for a corporate organization.

Shetty said that she is interested in public relations, media, and marketing. Unlike Sejpal, Shetty said she sees herself working in India with non-profit organizations and working with children in the future.

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