Senior Has Front-Row Seat for Presidential Inauguration Activities as Communication Intern

An Eastern Kentucky University senior will experience Inauguration Day activities from a perspective not shared by many – behind the scenes.

Nicolette Coontz, a broadcasting major from Stanford, will be in Washington, D.C., Jan. 18-23 working with former Florida governor Jeb Bush as an inaugural communication event intern. She is one of three lead interns for the educational events associated with Inauguration Day. Coontz will also assist prominent political analysts James Carville, who directed the 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton, and Mary Matalin.

Her duties will include attending press events to discuss the history and projected future of the Electoral College process, and working with the media and various inaugural conferences that will be taking place during the inaugural season.

On Inauguration Day, she will be part of a press team in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History on the National Mall during the ceremony, and then move to assist sideline coordination of the inaugural parade.  She will also attend the evening Gala Celebration to commemorate the 52nd Presidential Inauguration.

“Eastern Kentucky University has prepared me in various ways for this internship,” Coontz said. “The Department of Communication has truly molded me into a knowledgeable young adult and equipped me with the necessary skills needed to work in those specialized career fields.”

Coontz, who was crowned EKU Homecoming Queen last fall and serves as president of the mass communications honor society Kappa Tau Alpha, also credits her involvement with campus organizations for helping her gain the perseverance needed to achieve her aspirations.

A two-month summer internship with the London-based Channel 5 during the 2012 Olympic Games also strengthened her goal to become a news broadcaster or media communications specialist after graduation.