Junior works at ABC ahead of presidential debate – The Saint Anselm Crier

Saint Anslem College has been a haven for students for decades. Hilltop offers unique opportunities for politics in particular thanks to the New Hampshire Institute of Politics and the Kevin B. Harrington Student Ambassador Program run by the institute.

Thanks to this program, one Anselmian had an experience she will never forget. Lauren Blois (Class of ’26) was lucky enough to fly to Philadelphia to work as a production assistant for ABC News in preparation for the big presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris.

Blois was able to have this experience thanks to a previous opportunity she received. In January, she was able to work for ABC when they came to the Hilltop for the Republican primary debate. However, the debate never happened. Luckily for Blois, she stayed in touch with someone at ABC she met while working on the actual Republican primary debate.

Blois admitted she was disappointed but was very grateful for the opportunity she had been given.“It was tough when the Republican primary debate was canceled. I was disappointed but very grateful for the opportunity. I stayed in touch with my contact and he invited me to work on the presidential debate in Philadelphia.” she said.

Lauren was in Philadelphia for five days. During that time, she was able to see some of the sights and gain first-hand experience working for a major network like ABC. “The experience was incredible. It was hands down the best five days of my life,” she added.

During her time in the City of Brotherly Love, Blois worked with students from Temple, Villanova and UPenn, similar to her experience at ABC in January. Her job involved going into town with her PR colleagues and getting whatever the production team needed, be it food and snacks or office supplies.

Not only was she a messenger for the production team, but she was also the personal messenger for ABC’s executive producer Marc Burstein! As his personal messenger, she was responsible for a variety of things. Blois added, “I was responsible for his transportation and got to spend some time with him and the crew in the production van.”

The debate itself took place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. On the day of the debate, security could not have been tighter, according to Blois. She described the scene, which included a tight Secret Service security perimeter. “Security was very tight from the beginning. On the day of the debate, there were several blocks of Secret Service security perimeter. Every time you went in, you had to go through security. And vice versa when you left the venue,” she recalled.

According to Blois, the scene on the day of the debate was very intense with the staff working at the event. Everyone had a job to do and was focused on completing their respective tasks under a lot of pressure. Lauren enjoyed seeing media headliners like Wolf Blitzer and Lindsey Davis in their element and seeing what happens when the camera isn’t rolling.

However, one memory from this incredible experience is one that Lauren will never forget. During her travels, she met Kelsey Walsh (class of 2017) of Saint Anselm. Blois recalled that when she met Walsh, she mentioned that she was currently studying at the Hilltop and Walsh hugged her like old friends were meeting up. A true testament to the impact Saint Anselm has not only on its students, but also its alumni.

Lauren is very grateful for her experience with ABC, but the biggest help she’s had of all was the NHIOP Ambassador program. “Without the Ambassador program, I couldn’t have had this experience. I feel like the program equipped me with the skills I needed to have a successful experience, despite a somewhat disappointing outcome in January. I was able to accept that it was canceled, but I still valued my experience. I was able to continue and stay in touch with my connection at ABC. It put me in a very good position!” she added.

Blois used the program as it was intended: to network. She is once again a prime example of an Anselmian excelling and preparing for life beyond the Hilltop.