Brooke Trotter: From a One-Street Town to the White House

It’s been two weeks since I heard back from the White House.

Brooke in front of the East Wing's Christmas decorations.

I’m currently on a 10-hour bus ride back to South Carolina from being a leader on a youth trip. I am surrounded by middle school girls who are sharing the great things God did in their lives this past week. I selfishly think to myself, “this could have been the perfect God moment, Lord. Why haven’t I received any word from this possible internship?” Then, I kid you not, a few minutes later, I receive an email saying that I will be interning at the Office of Management and Budget at the White House.

I was a 20-year-old from a one-street town, interning in the nation’s capital for the Executive Office of the President- what on Earth could I accomplish?

I am happy to report that God had my back every step of the way. I was creating documents to inform the director, Mick Mulvaney, of daily press matters. I was the office’s note-taker at meetings to report back to higher ranked staffers. I was sent to the capitol to report back on policy discussions and given the responsibility to delegate the other interns within the OMB. I also received perks like seeing Marine One land and take off with the President, the annual turkey pardoning, and the East Wing Christmas decorations—not to mention receiving a West Wing tour.

Marine One landing on the Front Lawn.

This internship was filled with remarkable moments and feelings of bliss, but the process that brought me to those once-in-a-lifetime accomplishments was often quite trying. As an undergraduate student from Greenwood, SC, I had little recognition for what I could be capable of. Many of my fellow interns were from Georgetown University so I had to show them what a Lander girl could do. I was the only full-time intern. I showed up before the rest of my office almost every day. There were many days where I stayed after they left, or staffers would tell me to leave because I had stayed too long. There were days where I was told to wash the dishes, so I did it to the best of my ability while also managing to keep my feminist sanity. I would be told to go across town to pick up cupcakes or, once I turned 21, a case of beer for happy hour after work.

Brooke (right) with the executive flag and the director of  the OMB/acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney (left).

This doesn’t sound as glamorous as being a few feet away from the President or reporting information to high officials but washing dirty dishes and running errands was the process that got me there. Some days I felt useless and defeated, but I knew that if I proved my work ethic in small tasks then they would begin to trust me with meaningful assignments.

The day I knew it was all worth it was on my last day when Director Mick Mulvaney called me by my name and thanked me for all the hard work I had done and acknowledged what a great help I was to him personally. I could not believe that one of the President’s cabinet members knew who I was by name and took the time out of his chaotic schedule to thank an intern.

This experience taught me the importance of persistence and hard work. I grew tremendously while I was in DC. I gained a new sense of professionalism, independence, and confidence. The goal of this program is to put us outside of our comfort zone and I was outside of my zone on a daily basis. Even though there were some tough times throughout my internship, I felt like I was living in a dream. Some moments did not even feel like reality.

Brooke next to the West Wing.

One evening, I was sitting on the balcony of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building overlooking the White House grounds, I felt like the world around me stopped. Here I was in a pant suit conversing about attractive celebrities with White House staffers. That’s not what made this moment special, though. I never had this dream. I never had this goal. I never thought I was good enough to achieve something like this, but here I was.

Lander’s Honors College and the Washington Semester Program helped me realize I am capable of amazing things, taught me to strive for greatness, and has shaped me from the girl who never wanted to leave the Upstate of South Carolina to the woman who is ready for an adventure anywhere I might be lead to.

Brooke Trotter is a criminology major with a minor in non-profit management. She completed her internship breakaway at the Office of Management and Budget within the White House in Washington, DC. Brooke is expected to graduate in December of 2019 and wants to find a career that will allow her to help others either through the non-profit world or the public service arena.