Shahbano Raza: Internship Pathway

Portfolio of Work as a Congressional Press Assistant

Immersion Vanderbilt Faculty Adviser: Courtney Travers, Department of Communication Studies

Pathway: Internship

During her senior year, Shahbano (Political Science, '25) worked as a communications assistant for a California congresswoman, applying what she learned as a political science major and communication studies minor to real-world political messaging.

With guidance from Professor Courtney Travers, Shahbano created a portfolio highlighting her work ranging from press releases to floor remarks. After graduation, Shahbano accepted a full-time role as a district press secretary, continuing her commitment to civic communication.

Read more about Shahbano's journey in the Q&A below!

Explore Shahbano's Culminating Project

Q&A: From Internship to Immersion Vanderbilt to District Press Secretary

Where did you intern, how did you find it, and what made you choose that program? 

During my senior year, I was a communications assistant for Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26). Having already interned with her district office a couple years prior, I was able to rejoin her team as a remote/part-time communications staffer. I chose to pursue this particular professional development opportunity because it complemented my academic experience as a student majoring in political science and minoring in communication studies. In my classes, I was learning about Congress, dissecting public policy, and tracing the history of political rhetoric. Outside of the classroom, I was able to apply the things I learned by actually doing the work of communicating policy issues on behalf of a political figure. Conversely, I was able to take my experiences as a political communicator and use them to enhance my contributions and insights in the classroom.
What inspired you to turn your internship into the culminating project that ultimately satisfied your Immersion Vanderbilt? 

I feel so fortunate that I was able to simultaneously pursue my education at Vanderbilt and start a promising career in government. Having these experiences side by side helped me ascertain that I was following the right career trajectory for me. While I was learning about inaugural addresses or studying upcoming legislation in class, I was actively speechwriting for a sitting Member of Congress and communicating her position on those same bills. This was such a cool experience that I felt captured the magic of having your academic interests and career aspirations align so well. That is why I decided to turn my professional development experience into an Immersion project, and my hope was that I could inspire fellow political science majors to consider jumping into the vast and evolving field of political communications like I did.
What is the medium of your culminating project, and why did you choose it?

I selected a portfolio to illustrate the wide-range of communications work one might encounter in Congress. While it seems so on the surface, political communications is not just speechwriting or typing up fiery social media posts. Being a political communicator requires you to familiarize yourself with many different avenues for political messaging. From filming short-form videos to coordinating on-air interviews to distributing weekly e-newsletters, you will be working on producing content that can reach as many people as you can reach and as quickly as possible. In my portfolio, I reflected the diversity of communication mediums I worked with and also highlighted the various topics that I was messaging on for any given day. It was fun to look back at the work I did throughout the year and assemble bits and pieces of it for a meaningful culminating project through Immersion.
Who was your Immersion Vanderbilt faculty adviser, and how did they support your project? How did you select them to be your adviser? 

My Immersion Vanderbilt faculty adviser was Professor Courtney Travers. I took multiple classes with her for my communication studies minor, and her Histories of Public Communications course was especially relevant to my work in Congress. After reading the course description for this class, I immediately reached out to request Prof. Travers as my adviser. Among other interesting topics, her class delved deeply into inaugural addresses and how public figures navigated crisis communication over the years. This was super insightful as I worked through similar themes and conflicts while messaging for a present-day Congressperson. Professor Travers helped me build on these connections, and she was a great resource to turn to as I brainstormed how to showcase my experience through Immersion.
Looking back, how has this culminating project shaped your post-graduation academic or career path? Where are you now? 

Post-graduation, I was offered a full-time position with Congresswoman Brownley, and I am currently working as her district press secretary. My culminating project for Immersion helped me figure out my next steps by encouraging me to look back at everything I had drafted and helped produce in the span of one year. Reflecting on the work that I was doing and how much I enjoyed doing it convinced me that I was ready to keep growing and advancing myself in this field. The world of political messaging never gets boring, and it pushes me to be a more critical thinker and skilled communicator. Above all else, this line of work is especially necessary given the climate of disinformation and polarization that is permeating our politics. I am grateful to be in public service, and I take pride in helping constituents stay informed about the policies and issues impacting them. As a district press secretary, I get to continue this important work alongside interacting with local media, collaborating with community leaders, and engaging with public stakeholders.
What advice would you give to students who are considering using their internship to create a culminating project for Immersion Vanderbilt? 

Before I worked for Congresswoman Brownley, I thought I wanted to be a journalist. It turns out that more than asking questions and chasing stories, I like providing answers and communicating legislative priorities. If you are fortunate enough to have an internship that helps you course-correct like I did, that’s great! And, if your internship experience didn’t deliver that aha moment, that is perfectly alright.
My advice is that no matter how you felt about your internship—whether you loved it or totally hated it—strongly consider it for your Immersion Vanderbilt. More likely than not, you walked away from the experience with a clearer sense of who you are and what you want to be. Chances are, you also walked away with something tangible that easily lends itself to a culminating Immersion project. Sharing the work you accomplished during your internship and the lessons you learned will not only provide valuable insight for fellow Commodores considering similar opportunities, but it will also help you confront the next steps in your professional journey.
The bottom line: If your internship or career development opportunity challenged you, taught you something new, enhanced your academic experience, and/or opened doors for your career pathway, you should absolutely use it to fulfill your Immersion Vanderbilt.