Over the summer, Brian Zak ‘17 and Miles Hessian ‘18 both worked as interns helping with Senator Mark Kirk‘s re-election campaign. Kirk’s opposing candidate in the election is Democrat Tammy Duckworth.  Although Zak and Hession did play different roles in the process, they both were helping others better understand Kirk’s policies.

“It definitely changed my outlook on the world and politicians,” Hession said.

Both Zak and Hession were looking for meaningful summer internships. Zak is currently interning at the Downers Grove Township Republican office dealing with door to door campaigning, surveying and taking calls, primarily focusing on what people want in a candidate. Hessian worked at the Legislative office dealing with case work, field trips and phone calls, primarily focusing on helping others comprehend Kirk’s decision making.  Over the summer the two students had very similar hours, usually from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“I’m calling people from everywhere in Illinois,” Zak said. “Everybody has a very different political opinion and that’s really reflected in the sheer amount of people I get to talk to.”

Although working for the same cause, they had very different experiences.

“It was really interesting,” Hession said. “I’m a Democrat, but [Kirk] is a Republican and most of the other interns there were Republicans so it was interesting for me to get that different point of view.”

Both Zak and Hessian expressed how much they gained from their time just by communicating with other people.

“It has taught me a lot about interacting with people just because you meet so many different people,” Zak said. “A lot of people may not be the nicest and may not want to speak to you, so it’s dealing with a lot of rejection”

Zak will continue with his internship until the end of Kirk’s campaign in November, he said.

“It’s good for people to get involved,” Zak said. “I can’t vote, but I feel like I am still doing my civic duty by working on the campaign.”