Success Stories
Eric Jones
Franklin College & Terry College: May 2012
First Lady Intern at the White House
From January 10 until May 6, 2011, I was a White House Intern in the Office of First Lady's Correspondence, where I ensured that those who wrote Mrs. Obama received timely and appropriate responses. Never in a million years would I have ever thought that I would make it from the small town of Vidalia, Georgia, all the way to the White House to help support the first African American President and his administration! Being a White House Intern was truly the experience of a lifetime that I have been so privileged and honored to have.
In early 2010, I applied and was accepted into the Spring 2011 UGA Washington Semester Program (WSP). Along with providing classes and credit for my major(s), the program requires that each participant have an internship. I knew I wanted to have a political internship before I graduated, so I naturally thought of the biggest political internship I could think of: The White House. It wasn’t that easy, though, because I had applied to the White House twice before, but this time I poured my heart and soul into the application process under the guidance of WSP Director Don Demaria and my advisors and professors Ms. Sharon Shannon, Dr. Jamie Carson, and Dr. Anthony Madonna. I know this opportunity would not have been possible without their help. I accomplished and experienced so much while interning, and I will be able to use what the internship taught me as I move forward both professionally and personally.