Senior Anushka Tadikonda had the chance to have an up close and personal look at political history as a digital team worker at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) held in Chicago from Aug. 19-22.
The DNC showcased the campaign of vice president and presidential candidate Kamala Harris with her running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz.
As a member of the Youth Branch of the Santa Clara County Democratic Party, Tadikonda assists with media on various campaigns while spreading youth advocacy by creating panels and sub-groups to deal with smaller policy issues. Through her role, Tadikonda has made several important connections with council members.
These connections came in handy when she applied to work for the first-ever digital team at the DNC. Tadikonda was selected from among 30,000 applicants to be a part of the team.
Tadikonda with U.S. senator Chris Coons and U.S. representative Lisa Blunt Rochester.
The first-ever DNC digital team managed clips of the event and controlled how it was televised by several channels. The goal was to get more of the DNC on social media and highly visible to the public. One of her key responsibilities was handling check-ins for the speakers and working out issues with the registration procedure.
“The craziest moment was when some of the volunteers on the team weren’t getting their credentials and I had to go talk to the Secret Service to figure it out,” Tadikonda said.
Additionally, Tadikonda had the opportunity to meet several prominent political figures, including California governor Gavin Newsom, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and the first woman and African-American to represent Delaware in Congress, Lisa Blunt Rochester.
Tadikonda snaps a selfie with California governor Gavin Newsom.
“The atmosphere was very energized and supportive,” Tadikonda said. “I immediately formed a close bond with the people I sat next to.”
After her shift, Tadikonda was able to tune into the speeches live. One of her favorite moments was listening to Amanda Gorman recite her poem “This Sacred Scene.”
“Learning about [Gorman’s] poem during the inauguration in 8th grade was one of many reasons I got interested in politics so [it was] definitely a full circle moment,” Tadikonda said.
Tadikonda’ hopes one day to pursue a law degree and eventually run for political office herself.
Senior Anushka Tadikonda poses next to the California sign in front of the Democratic National Convention stage.
“My work at the DNC not only solidified my aspirations to run for politics but also expanded my network and added to my experiences on a national level,” Tadikonda said.
Through the eyes of national politics, youth representation will always be an important part of decision making — Tadikonda is proud to be part of that process.
“In order for you to grow your visibility, it’s really about the people you know and leveraging the network you have to find more opportunities,” Tadikonda said.
