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 stakeholder relationships, 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 Spring 2026 Internship Application will 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 2025 Interns
-
Olivia McDowell
Olivia McDowell is incredibly excited to return to The First Ask!
She is particularly passionate about working towards gender parity in state legislatures because the composition of state governments have such important implications for civil rights—something she has learned from working both on campaigns with TFA candidates and at her local District Attorney's office.
Originally from the Atlanta area, she is currently a senior at George Washington University, where she studies Political Science with a focus in Public Policy. After graduating, she aims to attend law school and pursue a career at the intersection of policy and gender justice. In her free time, you can find her exploring DC, reading, or baking.
-
Ruby Coleman
Ruby Coleman is an alumnus of American University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science. She is currently pursuing her M.A. in Political Communication.
Ruby has a background in campaigns, having worked to elect Will Haskell to the Connecticut State Senate in 2020, Stephanie Thomas as Connecticut’s Secretary of the State in 2022, and to pass Ballot Initiative 83 in Washington, D.C., in 2024. She is passionate about increasing women’s political representation, demonstrated by her involvement in organizations such as Running Start and RepresentWomen.
In November 2024, she was selected to speak on a panel with U.S. Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez at the Reykjavik Global Leaders Forum, where they discussed how ranked choice voting can be an effective strategy for electing more women to public office.
In her free time, Ruby loves reading, hiking, and exploring new places!
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.”