UA Student Chosen To Work On Gore Presidential Campaign

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - A University of Arkansas student is one of a few chosen to be a key player in the national presidential election this summer. Sophomore John Forrest Ales, of Baton Rouge, La., is one of 31 students selected from across the country as an intern for Vice President Al Gore’s presidential campaign. Ales will work within Gore’s national campaign headquarters and is the only student from the state of Arkansas and only one of two from his home state chosen for this position.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime. To be part of American history is an incredible experience, and I look forward to the challenges of a presidential campaign," Ales said.

The Gore 2000 Internship Program is designed to expose college students to all aspects of a national presidential campaign. Interns work with campaign staff members in the areas of press, scheduling, event planning, correspondence, issues research, finances and the "Team Tipper" department that coordinates events for Gore’s wife, Tipper.

"We have hundreds of students volunteering for the campaign here in Nashville and around the country," said Michele Steiner, Gore 2000 Intern Coordinator. "Our Nashville intern program recruits talented young students from colleges across the country who share Al Gore's vision of improving education and continuing America's economic prosperity. In the process, they are learning about important national issues and about what it takes to run for the highest office in the country."

Ales is a campus coordinator for Gore 2000 and worked the Iowa Primary Caucuses in January. He is a public relations major in the Walter J. Lemke department of journalism in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and an active member of the UA’s Young Democrats.

"Over the past 12 years, I've taught literally thousands of students at three major universities, and in all honesty John Forrest is the most exceptional, impressive student that I've ever had in class," said Dr. Phyllis Miller, associate professor of journalism. "If I could pick one student to represent me or to represent the University, it would definitely be John Forrest."

Ales served on the campaigns of U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., and Attorney General Mark Pryor while at the University of Arkansas. In 1996, he was the youngest member of U.S. Sen. Mary L. Landrieu’s, D-La., campaign steering committee, and in 1995, at age 15, he served as an adviser to former Congressman Cleo Fields, who became the first African American to compete in a Louisiana gubernatorial runoff since Reconstruction.

The Gore 2000 Intern Program is designed to challenge and reward a select number of students from across the country with an opportunity to work in a Presidential campaign. The goal of the program is to provide an outstanding educational experience within the various departments of the campaign. The program is intended to provide knowledge, tools, skills,

and experiences that an intern can readily apply to future challenges and professional pursuits. The Gore 2000 Intern Program welcomes all applicants who have demonstrated academic excellence and have displayed commitment to public service. The program strives to admit students who represent the diversity of America. Although interns are primarily college juniors and seniors, opportunities are available for non-traditional aged students, graduate and law students.