Story by Jeremy D’Angelo (master’s student)
Kansas State University agriculture communications student, Dan Martin, senior, spent the past summer interning with Agripulse Communications.
His responsibilities included conducting research for company clients, creating energy briefs, attending committee meetings in Washington D.C., shadowing reporters and meeting with politicians to discuss political issues, Dan says.
He got to work with several clients, including the American Farm Bureau Association.
“The research I completed was for the American Farm Bureau Association,” he says. “I researched the presidential candidates that were running at that time by looking into their basic bios and researching their stance on agricultural policies, such as crop insurance.”
The experience proved to be valuable and he was able to apply what he learned as a student in the agriculture communications department.
“I didn’t do any design stuff, but the writing classes in general and a lot of my political science courses helped me out a lot,” Dan says. “The research was a challenge, but it was really beneficial because I had to learn how to do it and I had to do it on an extensive scale where people who were relying on a credible company were looking at it.”
Dan will be using this experience to hopefully land a job after graduating in Washington D.C.
Dan says he hopes to find a job starting out on the Hill, preferably in agriculture, but he is open to branching out to other sectors such as oil or gas.
According to Dan, his internship was a one-time deal that he lucked into and he was not sure if they would offer it again, but he advises other students who are interested in similar internships to reach out to companies and start looking early.
“I kinda fell across this at the National Agriculture Marketing Association competition and it just kinda all fell in my lap,” Dan says. “My professor knew my boss and he put in a good word for me.”
