UD's Christopher Merken volunteers at a White House event.

White House intern

Student spends 'humbling and empowering' summer in Washington

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9:47 a.m., Nov. 9, 2015--A University of Delaware student spending a summer as an intern in the office of a UD alumnus may not sound unusual, but for junior Christopher Merken, that alumnus was U.S. Vice President Joseph R. Biden.

Merken worked in the Office of the Vice President, who graduated from UD in 1965, in the Office of Advance Scheduling and Operations. The experience of commuting each day along the Lincoln Memorial was “humbling and empowering,” he said.

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“I basically assisted with the vice president’s scheduling for appearances and meetings,” Merken said. He also assisted in conducting legal research, writing briefs, preparing travel visas and performing other clerical duties. 

Meeting the vice president was a highlight of the experience, he said. Any time a direct request was made for an appearance by Biden, Merken was required to report it to the director of scheduling. He also helped keep a log of any TV mentions of the vice president, and assisted with the more than 8,500 condolence letters that arrived after the death of Biden’s son Beau on May 30.

Another aspect of the internship was a weekly speaker series hosted by the White House, in which a variety of senior advisers spoke to the interns and other employees of the office.

“The vice president and first lady would speak to us about their experience and how we could relate to them,” Merken said. “They spent time with us for about 30 minutes.” He described Biden as “genuinely interested in what we all were doing.”

Merken was selected from among thousands of applicants to take part in what he called a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The process of applying and then waiting to hear about his acceptance began in September 2014, and he learned the decision the following March.

After that, he said, the process moved very quickly, and he was scheduled to start in early June. 

“I had six days to take three exams, move out of my dorm and back home, and pack for D.C.,” Merken said. He aced all his finals and traveled to Washington for the 10-week program. 

Interns, who are not paid, are required to find their own living arrangements, and Merken said he was lucky enough to live with family friends close by for the duration of the internship.

Merken, of Rosemont, Pennsylvania, is majoring in political science with minors in global and legal studies as well as political communication. 

A future career in Washington is possible, he said, but for now, his game plan is focused on preparing for the LSAT exam and going right to law school after graduation.

Article by Juwan Montalvo

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