You know it’s that time when final exams are over, dorm rooms are vacated, spring and soon summer is in full swing… and it’s time to put all the knowledge one allegedly gains in a college classroom to good use. It is a phenomenon well known to college students- it is the summer internship.

Last May, over a year ago now, I was blessed with the opportunity to work as an intern in Richmond with the Virginia Society for Human Life. There among my many intern tasks I helped file articles, copy documents, and even put thousands of tiny “Young One” fetal models into little zip-lock baggies (just imagine a 21 year old guy sitting on the floor surrounded by mountains of little plastic babies.) Now this summer, with overly kind recommendations from the VSHL, I secured an internship in Washington D.C. at the Political Action Committee at National Right to Life. Please don’t take this as an insult to Richmond or the Commonwealth, but obviously I was exceedingly thrilled to be spending this summer working in our nation’s capitol, the power center John F. Kennedy once referred to as a city of “Southern efficiency and Northern charm.” And the fact that I would be working in the PAC department was icing on the cake… we all know just how critical it is for the pro-life movement to keep our great President in office and defeat the pro-abortion extremist from Massachusetts. Well needless to say my internship this summer has thus far been spectacular.

Frequently being an intern can be a humbling experience for ambitious and often cocky college kids; however first at the VSHL and now at the NRLC I have been constantly given exciting projects (of course in addition to photocopying, a beloved pastime of any intern.) Among some of my tasks this summer; I was able to lead a seminar for college student and discuss my experiences starting a pro-life group at the University of Richmond during the NRLC Convention, I have met congressional candidates, sent out letters of endorsements, and done some research to prepare for the upcoming political conventions… the list goes on and on. Every morning when I step into that hot and crowded Metro train I know that that something new and exciting awaited me at the NRLC PAC office.

Most importantly however, I have witnessed first-hand the day-to-day operations of the oldest pro-life state organization in the nation at the VSHL and now at the National PAC I am learning how we support and elect the pro-life candidates who will ultimately put an end to the mass genocide that has killed more than 1/3 of my generation’s peers. The insight I have gained through both these amazing internships is worth more than a thousand credits of political science courses. And while benefiting from this priceless hands-on education I continue to be profoundly struck by the intense passion that essentially fuels those who volunteer and toil for the cause of the unborn. That passion is something you can’t learn in any college classroom.

Brian Mazanec is a founder of University of Richmond’s Spiders for Life. He served as VSHL intern in Summer ‘03 and is currently interning for NRLC PAC.

Published in VSHL Lifesaver, August 2004