Congratulations to Kevin Canny ’21, White House Intern! Read more about this incredible experience…
Sophomore Kevin Canny is spending his spring semester in Washington, DC, serving as an intern at the White House. The Wake Forest, NC, native is an outstanding student who plans to major in Government and Foreign Affairs and minor in Leadership and the Public Interest. After graduation, he hopes to build a career in national security. Here are highlights from a short conversation with Kevin earlier this month.
Kevin’s days at the White House are spent “conducting important research, writing reports for staff, and interacting with a diverse, accomplished group of public servants.” He works as part of a team that focuses on the administration of governmental activities with executive branch agencies in Washington and the relationship between federal, local, and state governments. By the end of this experience, Kevin believes he “will have made invaluable connections and developed a more intimate, deep-seated understanding of the way in which the federal government, and specifically the executive branch, functions.” Two of his Hampden-Sydney classes, in particular, helped prepare him directly for this position, Kevin says. Rhetoric 102 with Dr. Susan Robbins gave him the confidence to organize and communicate his thoughts clearly and effectively, while Introduction to Leadership 101 with Lt. Col. Rucker Snead prepared him to write government memos where the “bottom line is placed up front (BLUF)”—the style used to communicate with senior decision makers in Washington. Both classes made him feel confident and well-prepared for all assignments during his time at the White House. Kevin concluded by stating that the internship, which was made possible by the support of Wilson Center faculty and staff and H-SC’s strong alumni network, has thus far “exceeded expectations.”
Alumni and friends: Your support and engagement make this kind of experience a reality for our students!