The Kevin B. Harrington Student Ambassador Program is a unique opportunity for Saint Anselm College students of any major to be involved in supporting the Institute's various events and activities.
Ambassadors are highly motivated, dedicated students who work closely with the New Hampshire Institute of Politics (NHIOP) staff on public programming and civic engagement work. They assist in event promotion, welcome guests and VIPs, and serve as greeters and ushers. In addition, the non-partisan student ambassadors often moderate question and answer periods, facilitate book signings, and lead other post-event activities.
As speakers and candidates visit the Institute, student ambassadors often get special opportunities to meet guests behind the scenes. During election cycles, ambassadors have been able to serve as stand-ins on local and national debate sets and assist media outlets in covering the first-in-the-nation primary.
Student Leadership
Jenifer Wallitsch is a politics major from North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Her favorite part of being an NHIOP ambassador is having the opportunity to hear numerous perspectives due to it being a nonpartisan institution. This gives her the resources to hear talks and participate in discussions with individuals on both sides of the aisle. A fun fact about Jenifer is that she once got to go to a taping of The Ellen Show and dance with Ellen!
Ryan Heath is an economics and marketing double major from Salisbury, New Hampshire. His favorite part of being an ambassador is working with so many great, motivated people with a variety of political perspectives and a common interest in the political process. A fun fact about Ryan is that he's a certified lifeguard and works at a town beach in the Lakes Region during the summer. (He's only had to save somebody once!)
Brendan Flaherty is a politics major from Nashua, New Hampshire. His favorite part about being an ambassador are the opportunities to meet with all sorts of people involved in politics from media personalities to presidential candidates. Recently, he played a major role in helping 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang find his way to the NHIOP for an interview on CBS’ Face-the-Nation.
Abby Theobald is a politics major from Lyman, Maine, with minors in environmental studies and sociology. Her favorite part of being an ambassador has been gaining hands-on experience in planning political events. She also enjoys meeting other ambassadors who are as involved in civic engagement as she is. A fun fact about Abby is that she is currently working on hiking all forty-eight 4,000 foot mountains in NH!
Brooke Blackburn is a Communications and International Relations double major from Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Her favorite part of the ambassador program is working with everyone and learning what others are passionate about, both within the program and around campus. A fun fact about Brooke is that she once found a stray cat who ended up being pregnant - so then she had four cats!
Katie Monahan is a Politics and Psychology double major from Tewksbury, Massachusetts. Her favorite part of being an ambassador is having the opportunity to be so closely involved in primary week and the national elections. She was also excited to meet Bernie Sanders! A fun fact about Katie is that she enjoys painting in her free time.
Kenneth Tran is a Politics major from Manchester, New Hampshire. His favorite part about being an ambassador is having the opportunity to listen to and engage with such a variety of political and cultural speakers. A fun fact about Kenneth is that he can solve a Rubik's cube in just 20 seconds!
David Chairez is a politics major with minors in communication and peace and justice studies from West Covina, California. His favorite part of being an ambassador is having the opportunity to meet and interact with a wide array of politicians and seek advice from them. A fun fact about David is that he has never traveled outside of the country before.
Joe Cavanaugh is an international business major from Hingham, Massachusetts. His favorite part of being an ambassador is getting to work on events like the Democratic Primary Presidential Debate, as well as getting to see what a big difference our work makes in the community and beyond. A fun fact about Joe is that he helped Deval Patrick rehearse his pronunciation of "Anselm" in the Sullivan Arena Parking lot.
Sam Riley is an international relations major from Hopkinton, Massachusetts. her favorite part of being an ambassador is learning about people’s first hand experiences working in politics and all the different realms involved. A fun fact about Sam is that Cory Booker retweeted a picture of the two of them!
Emily Burns is a politics and American studies double major from Buffalo, New York. Her favorite part of being in the ambassador program is being granted incredible opportunities like working for major news networks and discussing policy issues with prominent politicians. A fun fact about Emily is that she loves crime documentaries and horror movies.