My name is Paige Jansen and I am a second-year student at Drake University studying Multimedia Journalism and Strategic Political Communications. I first got involved in journalism in High School, where I served as the Editor in Chief of our Yearbook, The Tiger. I also served as the Photo Editor of our newspaper, The Black and Redgister. In 2019/2020, I was able to photograph/report on presidential candidates as their campaigns traveled around central Iowa. It was mind-blowing that I was able to have the same press credentials as top journalists around the country as a junior in high school. This experience helped me connect my love of politics and communications. Since my time in high school, my skills and journalistic knowledge have grown drastically. Currently, I am a Sports Photographer for the Drake University student newspaper, the Times Delphic, and the Political Director for the Drake Democrats.
My Experience:
VoteSmart Intern
- During the first semester of my Freshman year, I was an intern at the nonpartisan research organization Vote Smart. I worked in the profiles department updating information about different candidates around the country on their website. I produced high-quality work to support their daily needs, analyzed data, and collaborated well with my team. During this process, I had multiple supervisor changes so I had to be flexible and organized to work with so many different people.
Iowa Senate Democrat Research Staff Intern
- Last spring, I served as a Senate democrat Communication Intern. My main focus was capturing photos of the senators, on the floor or around the building meeting with different groups. I organized the images I took, as well as edited and captioned them when needed. I also worked on social media posts, video editing, and I contacted press from around the state.
Sarah For Iowa State Senate Intern
- Since June, I have been interning with State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott’s re-election campaign. For the five months that I have worked for her, I’ve done various jobs. These rules include volunteer management, voter contact (canvassing and phone calls), and working events. I also help manage the candidates’ social media accounts. She has 10,000 followers on Twitter and 4,000 followers on Facebook. I specialize in promoting her community endorsers and making event pages. Since August, I have been employed with her campaign through the Progressive Turnout Project, an organization that gives grants to states to give to campaigns that need help. Before August, I was an employee of the Iowa Democratic Party Senate Majority Fund.
