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Mia Barnes

Internship: Ohio State Sen. Nickie Antonio

Through her internship with Sen. Nickie Antonio, Communication Studies alumna Mia Barnes, ’22, assisted the Ohio State Senator and Assistant Minority Leader with both digital and hands-on tasks. Mia says her Communication Studies coursework and other leadership experiences prepared her for this opportunity — and upon her Summer 2022 graduation, the internship turned into a job as campaign manager for Sen. Antonio’s re-election campaign.

“It is hard to pinpoint one class that prepared me for this experience. I believe all the classes I have taken in the School of Communication Studies have prepared me for this experience. My time as the 2021-2022 Senator for The College of Communication and Information on Kent State’s Undergraduate Student Government, taught me the power of staying organized, building relationships with people in my field, and how to advocate for others properly and respectfully.”

As an intern, Mia’s daily tasks included helping the Senator with scheduling appointments, staffing her at events and networking with other politicians and elected officials. Mia has also been helping with social media.

“The highlights of my internship have been meeting President Joe Biden, getting the opportunity to work out of the Ohio Statehouse, meeting her legislative staff and attending events with elected officials including mayors from the major cities in Ohio!”

Sen. Antonio praised Mia’s work ethic and skills.

“I was pleased and impressed by the amount of skills and preparation Mia Barnes brought to her internship this summer,” Sen. Antonio says. “She was confident, enthusiastic, competent and inquisitive, an exceptional writer, and came with a depth of understanding of various forms of communication, social media and research.”

Advice for interns:

“If I had one piece of networking advice for students, it would be to research the people you meet beforehand and show that you have been paying attention to their career. Additionally, be outgoing and work hard! Politicians love having enthusiastic and hardworking college students around them because it makes them excited for the next generation of leaders!”