Analise Wachtel in front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Analise Wachtel is taking her studies beyond the classroom to Washington, D.C. The senior journalism major and general business minor is interning in the communications department for North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District Representative. While learning the ins and outs of political messaging and gaining firsthand experience on Capitol Hill, Wachtel is embracing every opportunity that comes with working at the heart of the nation’s capital.
Tell us about your current internship.
I’m doing a communications internship for a member of the House here. In this role, I work closely with their Communications Director and Press Assistant. My responsibilities include writing newsletters and press releases, managing social media, attending hearings, sending daily news clips to the office and giving Capitol tours to constituents. I have also begun proofreading speeches, and I hope to contribute to writing one by the end of the semester.
What are your biggest challenges in this role?
The news is so unbiased — working in politics and communications is kind of the complete opposite. You’re trying to communicate a congressman’s feelings and views, and it’s a little bit different writing. It’s helping me establish whether I want to work on the communication side or news side of things.
Analise Wachtel at Arizona Family.
Have you completed any other internships?
This summer, I interned at Arizona’s Family, a CBS affiliate covering Channel 3 and Channel 5. It was a very fast-paced news internship, with news every half hour, which is pretty irregular for local news. Which really kind of just threw me into the news world, and I really enjoyed that.
What led you to TCU?
I’m originally from Arizona, where my family still lives. I first heard about TCU through Baylor, actually — someone from Baylor came to my high school, and I really liked their pitch. When I started looking at schools in Texas, I saw TCU, too, especially since I was originally a sports broadcasting student, and noticed they had a program in the communication school. I visited TCU and Baylor on the same day. I loved everything about TCU — the campus, how happy everyone seemed. TCU spoke to me in a way Baylor didn’t. That night, my mom and I drove back up to TCU and went to a football game, and that completely sold it for both of us.
How did you decide on your major/minor?
I started in the sports broadcasting program. I took a journalism class for one of the general credits and realized that I liked reporting on general things as well, not just sports. I really liked telling stories with the community and seeing how I could help out there. I love the professors in the journalism school, especially Dr. (John) Tisdale (journalism chair and associate professor). He’s one of the reasons I switched because he has such a passion for it, and I really liked his classes.
Analise Wachtel with friends at a Washington Nationals game in Washington, D.C.
Looking ahead, what’s next for you and your career?
Being here in D.C. has shown me that I’d like to go into law. I might work in communications for a year, then go to law school to further my education and pursue law or political correspondence. Just being in politics and public policy, it’s kind of my interest in law, and knowing I have communication skills, I can apply those here.