IUP Professor Shares Her Experience, Excitement for Students Attending Republican National Convention

What lessons or opportunities did you see your students particularly gaining from being there and experiencing the convention firsthand? Were there any student placements that helped a student or students decide on their professional career(s)?
The entire two weeks are filled with real learning experiences. Hearing from those leaders and experts — from the Secret Service, state party delegations, the host city — learning about everything, all of the costs it takes to prepare the city all adds to it. Students don’t realize how much it takes to put on an event like a national party convention. In my public relations classes we study event planning. This is the epitome of event planning and students get a chance to see and hear all about it. 

I had one student, Justin, who already had political aspirations before he went to Cleveland. He really maximized his participation. He got selfies with any politician he could get within two feet of and just really worked rooms and did such a great job making connections. It was amazing to watch him grow from an IUP student through the convention program and he went on to run for office. There was another student, Maggie, who ended up in politics too. All of the students who participated learned from the experience and those opportunities.

How did the work placements impact students’ experiences and what were some key takeaways they got from their assignments?
If a student’s placement was a gofer, that meant they had an important role. If they did it extremely well and were punctual, hustled and had a good attitude, that made a difference. People notice effort. We say that in the classroom all the time, but I think it hit home with the students who had that assignment. Initially, they came and complained they didn’t have a great placement, but by the end they were so excited because, when they hustled, they were picked to do something else or asked to step up to help more. 

As a journalism professor, watching students who aspire to become journalists walk down the street and see major news networks set up as if they’re in the studio was pretty fascinating too. They saw all the famous anchors they see on TV just walking down the street, totally accessible. They were a little bit starstruck but they got to work with them in their field experiences. The stories I heard from them were just fantastic. They got an inside look at how everything is put on, covered and executed. I think the placements opened eyes to a lot of other professions students may not have thought about or even knew existed before the convention. It made such an impact that they pursued careers based on their experience.

Is there a specific event or activity connected to the convention in Charlotte that you look forward to seeing and sharing with your students?
Throughout the convention week there are these pop-up venues, pop-up events, like the Washington Post would have a panel in a local bar or an issue group would have a meeting you could stop by. Those things were so cool and interesting because they covered just about any issue or subject area. To just walk down the street and go to these things, hear in-depth analysis of what was happening around you was very meaningful. Those make for interesting additions to the main show. 

And then there’s all of the networking that is happening. The students who attend get the opportunity to rub elbows with professionals in the field, people who are really successful and doing the jobs students aspire to do. There’s just no substitute for students getting to work alongside them, ask them questions and socialize with them at events. And they’re learning and growing throughout the whole experience.