News & Press

Why My Internship Helped Me in School

After finishing the 2006 Summer Internship Program with the Alameda County Republican Party, I can honestly say that my political knowledge and debating abilities have increased tenfold. When I returned to school I realized that my knowledge of the political system on the local level had reached a height that a majority of people, let alone high school students, do not have. As the President of Speech and Debate Club, I stated my opinion with far more conviction as a result of a strong foundation of political knowledge that I had acquired through first hand experiences while volunteering at the Alameda GOP.

On one occasion, a teacher of mine was misinformed concerning a specific Republican candidate (as many Democrats are). The teacher spread wrong information concerning one of the candidate’s policies. However, unlike many of my peers, I had knowledge of this policy and was able to speak of its benefits and how the teacher’s negative comments were blown out of proportion. If I had not worked with the Republican Party, then not only would I have been ignorant to this policy, I would have built up negative feelings towards a candidate based on wrong information.

In addition, one of my first assignments at school was to volunteer 20 hours of community service. That assignment was made far easier due to the fact that the Alameda GOP is in need of as many volunteers as possible, especially so close to the election. If you are a student and need to complete a similar assignment, the Alameda GOP is a perfect place to start.

I know that I will definitely continue my work with the Alameda GOP and continue to expand my political knowledge.

James Karavakis is a 16-year-old high school student from Pleasanton