When Autumn Kutsick saw an opportunity, she took it.
During the READY Lab’s inaugural Democracy Speaker Series, now-NAU alumna Autumn attended a guest lecture by Stephanie Berger, a nationally recognized campaign strategist and founder of Berger & Associates. Invited to speak to Dr. Nuño’s POS 312 Campaigns and Elections class, Ms. Berger shared insights from her decades of experience fundraising for political campaigns, offering students a behind-the-scenes look at careers in politics.
After the talk, Autumn introduced herself to Ms. Berger—and that conversation turned into something more. She followed up, stayed in touch, and ultimately landed a summer internship with Berger & Hirschberg Strategies in New York.
As an intern, Autumn is helping organize fundraising events and supporting efforts to raise money for the firm’s campaign clients. She’s had the opportunity to meet figures like Congressman Eric Swalwell at client events and has already received several inquiries about future job opportunities. Autumn says she’s learning as much as she can and will consider her next steps after the internship ends in August.
Autumn’s initiative is exactly the kind of outcome the READY Lab envisioned when launching the speaker series. Connecting students with real-world professionals doesn’t just bring the curriculum to life; it helps launch careers.