Amy Bonitatibus was supposed to be a junior this year, but instead of studying her double major in political science and biology she is interim deputy press secretary to U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Amy earned the post by impressing the senator and her staffers with her hard work as an intern and by being in the right place at the right time
-the woman she replaced took a six-month maternity leave.
Bonitatibus, who began the internship in Clinton's Washington office in April, found herself taking on more responsibilities, eventually going to press conferences. By the end of May, she was offered the job.
“I was shocked,” she recalls. “I said, 'Do you know I'm still in school?'”
After checking to ensure that she could defer a planned term abroad to Australia, and to make sure she had enough credits to graduate on time, she took the job.
“After accepting the position, I conducted an interview with the senator, and she congratulated me on my new position and expressed her excitement at having me here,” she recalls. “She didn't realize that I was still in school-let alone a sophomore-but she said that she thinks it's great that
I was willing to take time off to work in D.C. She explained that her daughter, Chelsea, also took a term off to campaign for her during her
Senate race.”
A typical week finds Bonitatibus doing a range of tasks including writing press releases, determining what interviews the senator will honor, scheduling press events, and conducting Q&As with the senator for a radio and TV feeds.
“So far, this has been an unparalleled learning experience and a great taste for the challenges that await me in the future,” she said.