Alumni Hit the Campaign Trail

As Election Day creeps closer, campaigns are kicking their efforts into high gear in a final attempt to promote their candidates. As a political storm rages around the country, many Gustavus alumni have left the sidelines to jump into the fray. Recent graduates Alex Knewtson (2008) and Kristine Straumann (2007) have spent months working full-time in positions on political campaigns in Minnesota.

Long and irregular hours doing challenging work for a salary that often does not compete with other jobs is all part of the package of working for a political campaign. Straumann and Knewtson, like many Gustavus graduates, made the decision to work for a campaign as recent graduates anyway.

“While the typical job perks don’t exist in my position, it is much more worthwhile to me to get to work every day knowing I work for a cause that I feel is incredibly important,” Straumann said. She is currently working for Senator Norm Coleman’s campaign. “I wanted to get involved with something that was important to me, that I would enjoy, and that would make a difference in the lives of others,” Straumann said.

Alex Knewtson has been hard at work for months working to re-elect Congressman Tim Walz in the first district. He considered jobs in the corporate sector, but is confident that his choice to work for a campaign following graduation was the right decision. He says this job has taught him that, “compensation for the effort you put in comes in many forms.”

Between the long hours and grueling schedule, especially as campaigns make their last push before voters hit the polls, Knewtson finds many aspects of his work rewarding. “[The knowledge that] the work I do directly contributes to the encouragement of ideas, to the empowerment of others, and to the process of making laws work for people, means more to me than the sort of rewards I saw myself earning in any number of positions,” Knewtson said. He says he receives intangible rewards from his daily work all the time. “In this job,” he said, “those rewards greatly out-value anything money can buy.”

In addition to the gratifying nature of working for a campaign, both Straumann and Knewtson have learned lessons they will carry with them. “I have been with the campaign for more than a year now,” Straumman said, “so I have gained in-depth knowledge of the political process, great communication skills, an ability to work with people of all perspectives and backgrounds, and have a greater understanding of the importance of grassroots organizations and efforts.”

Gustavus graduates are not the only ones devoting time and effort to elect a candidate they support. Many current students have found time between classes and extracurricular activities to become politically involved. Senior Political Science Major Amy Erickson has been working with fellow students on a youth coordinated campaign.

“This is a significant election,” Erickson said, “and I think it is important for young people to be politically engaged. As a senior who will graduate soon, I think I am gaining good experience to prepare for a career after college.”

Straumann strongly feels that multiple aspects of her Gustavus career prepared her for the job she has now. She feels the things she learned while being challenged by peers and professors in class discussions, studying abroad, living in a diverse community, and participating in extracurricular events contributed to her success following graduation.

“Being a part of so many different groups and activities besides classes, those experiences prepared me to be very detail-oriented, organized, and to multi-task – ultimately, to be able to work those 70-80 hour weeks, not for an amazing salary or great corporate benefits, but for a cause I believe in,” Straumann said.

Knewtson felt his experience in internships especially applied to his job today. “There is absolutely no experience that prepares you for a job like doing the job, but without pay, an office, or benefits. A must—an absolute must,” Knewtson said. In the end, though, simply interacting with peers and professors in and out of the classroom at Gustavus provided many of the most helpful lessons he carried into his first job. “I think the learning environment in a Gustavus curriculum