Internships at the First Ask
The First Ask offers our interns the opportunity to gain hands on political experience, including direct opportunities to work with candidates, build stakeholderrelationships, and develop both hard and soft skills that will be invaluable to a career in politics. This internship is designed for those with little to no professional political experience who are excited to learn and who are incredibly dedicated to seeing positive political change.
Our competitive application process, hands-on work experience, and supportive work environment prepares our interns for a career of making change!
The Fall 2026 Internship Application will be open soon!
“I absolutely loved my experience at The First Ask. I was a second-semester senior during my internship, and I learned so much about the professional world from the team. Getting to develop relationships with our candidates was invaluable, and I really enjoyed the opportunity to expand my portfolio. I’m so thankful to Caroline and Eleanor for giving me the chance to work at TFA—I would recommend the organization for anyone who cares about women in local politics!”
Fall 2026 Interns
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Olivia Lappin
Originally from Wayland, Massachusetts, Olivia is currently a Political Science and Film & Media Arts double major with a minor in Special Education at American University in Washington, DC. She is an active part of student religious life, student theater and The Aviary, a student media organization focused on platforming female and non-binary stories. She can also often be found working in various schools as well as summer camp.
Through the American University School of Public Affairs, Olivia has actively participated in research projects focused on local election administration and direct democracy. This research work has driven Olivia’s passion for local government, and she is very excited to join The First Ask to support our candidates and bring democratic female voices to state legislatures!
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Ritika Shroff
Ritika Shroff is a senior at American University, where she is majoring in interdisciplinary studies of Communication, Legal Studies, Economics, and Government, and pursuing a Master's in Public Administration. Ritika understood the importance of women in office when she got the opportunity to work for the first all-women democratic leadership in Iowa during her senior year of high school. Since then, she has had the opportunity to intern at DCCC, Indian American, APAICS, and Evergreen Strategy Group, all of which have strengthened her understanding of the political world.
At American, she is involved with student media, serving as the Advice Columnist on the school newspaper, The Eagle, and as a podcast producer for American Way of Life. Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, Ritika enjoys traveling and reading!
Hear from our former interns!
“ I had a wonderful experience working with The First Ask! I was very anxious before starting, as this job was my first internship, but Caroline and Eleanor’s guidance proved to me that I had nothing to be nervous about. Doing work that had a real impact in campaigns within my home state was an incredible experience, and it reaffirmed that advocacy is the field I want to go into. The skills and knowledge I have retained from my semester with The First Ask will without a doubt help me in my future career.”
“ My time as an intern at The First Ask was incredibly rewarding. Being able to help women across the country work to represent us all is something I’ve always been passionate about. At The First Ask, I was able to have direct contact with strong, selfless candidates and have my faith in state candidates strengthened. I was able to build my research, communication, and writing skills and feel confident in my ability to continue to help build female representation in the future. I am so lucky to have had this experience and the First Ask is an amazing organization that shines a spotlight on elections that would otherwise go unnoticed.”
“ My time with The First Ask is truly everything I hoped it would be. I couldn't have asked for a better first-internship experience. I'm so grateful to the team that I've worked with this summer. Caroline and Eleanor were the perfect supervisors because they really valued my experience and ensuring that I met my goals and learned about the specific research and fundraising areas that I wanted to learn about. Politics is something that I have been passionate about for a while, but being able to actively participate in this country's Democratic process was so incredibly fulfilling, and I cannot thank The First Ask enough for the opportunity it has provided me to make a difference.”