Honors Alumna Interns in the White House

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Cicely Shannon and her mother, Beverly Shannon, in the White House entrance hall.

In the category of cool summer jobs, Honors College alumna and Bodenhamer Fellow Cicely Shannon wins the prize: she spent the summer participating in the White House Internship Program. Shannon worked as an intern for Michelle Obama's office, helping the first lady respond to more than 2,000 letters each month. 

"It was a fun way to spend the summer," said Shannon, who graduated last May from Fulbright College with a B.A. in economics, cum laude, with a concentration in international business and a minor in legal studies. "You really get to see how much people appreciate her, and appreciate how important those letters are to her. The cutest letters are from the kids!"

How did Shannon land this job? Her Truman Scholarship helped: following completion of their undergraduate degrees, all Truman Scholars can spend a summer in Washington, D.C., with all expenses paid, provided they find an internship. The White House job, however, was not among the opportunities provided by the Truman office. 

"I did the White House application independently," Shannon said. "I looked at the White House website and decided to apply. It's a long application, but not if you've done the Truman."

Shannon interviewed in early February, but didn't find out whether she'd landed the internship until after graduation. 

"The background check was the longest part of the process," Shannon said. 

Shannon did have an opportunity to meet President Obama and the first lady and some other heroes, as well: in special sessions for the Truman group, she met former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.  

"Justice Sotomayor's story is so inspirational," Shannon said. "As a woman of color she had a lot of people question her ability to be a justice — she's been an agent for change."

Shannon said her years at the University of Arkansas prepared her well for the White House job: "I'm well-informed, thanks to classes that made me well-rounded, like the Model UN class with Robert Stapp — I have a minor in Stapp," she chuckled. "I got to go into a lot of spaces that other schools wouldn't have offered," she added. "Working in the White House is no different than working in the chancellor's office with Judy Schwab."

Shannon began a new job as an assistant bank examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis on Aug. 31.