Nora Klemmer ’17 is spending her summer as an intern at Mercury Public Affairs, a global, high-stakes strategy firm offering a variety of capabilities including international affairs, government relations, crisis management, campaign management and more. Her internship is made possible by Summer Internship Funding 2016, managed by the Career Center.
As an intern, Klemmer has a variety of assignments. “From day to day I’m typically asked to help out with the research for various tasks, but I have also gotten involved in some very cool projects,” she explained. “I’ve worked with a congressional campaign in Harlem, helped develop an initiative for gun violence awareness, and also worked on the PR for a benefit concert that is to be held by the New York Civil Liberties Union.”
This breadth of responsibilities has been appealing for Klemmer, who “wanted to get involved in public affairs to get a sense of the non-political yet closely related to governmental issues.” She continued, “This internship allowed me to explore bits and pieces of many different fields including lobbying, political consulting, public relations and crisis management.”
So far, this internship has been a remarkable educational experience outside of the classroom for Klemmer. “I learned to write an op-ed and essentially do the PR for an event from the ground up. I have been given a lot of responsibilities, and while not all have been successful, the people at Mercury have instilled me with plenty of confidence, which helps to make quick decisions and think on my feet.”
Her experience goes beyond accumulating valuable skills, however. “It definitely has fit to my personality; I get to work on projects pertaining to various political interests, am constantly challenged and get to be creative at the same time.” The best part, she says, is being able to work with people of diverse backgrounds. She reflected, “One day I’ll be working heavily for an international client, while the next day I am helping out a local New York campaign. I have been able to get a taste of so many areas and really figure out what I enjoy versus what I don’t.”
While Klemmer entered Hamilton uncertain of her post-graduation plans, this internship, which she discovered her sophomore year thanks to the Career Center, has given her guidance. “If anything, this internship has shown me that I would definitely be interested in pursuing public affairs. Whether I am more interested in focusing on government relations, crisis communications, or international affairs is yet to be determined; I certainly would like to find a position in the future that lets me get involved in such a diverse set of clients and capabilities.”
