Grand Terrace Resident Interns at White House

In September 2015 Grand Terrace resident, Reyna Harvey, chased her dreams and uprooted her life to Washington D.C to begin her internship in the Communications Department at the White House. “The internship was a life-long dream of mine. I had discovered it while researching internships and really wanted to apply,” Harvey said. Harvey began the application while a sophomore at the University of California, Riverside, but did not send it, “I didn’t think they would accept me and I continued interning elsewhere.” Harvey pursued her dreams and worked for The Oprah Winfrey Network and as a news assistant for KABC Channel 7 Eyewitness News. Harvey hoped to become a professional broadcast journalist, and continued to work in other internships such as The Tavis Smiley Show, The Arsenio Hall Show, The Mayor of Riverside's Office, and KTLA Channel 5 News. It was after her experiences in the Inland Empire and Los Angeles that Harvey felt she was ready to apply for the White House internship, “I finally had the courage to submit my application knowing that I had nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking a chance.” Harvey received her letter of acceptance for the internship program during the late summer and had to make the move to DC in a short time to start in September. “The excitement really hit once she started packing. Things went by so quickly after she was accepted and we had five days to get her there. Once she touched down we were all ecstatic for her,” her mother, Eleanor Harvey said. For Harvey she couldn’t have made the journey without the support of her family. “My family’s reaction makes this more worth it. They were ecstatic and the only reason I was able to afford getting to D.C. Their love, support, and encouragement made it all that more worth it.” Grand Terrace resident and Harvey’s grandmother, Barbara Mcclellan, is proud of her granddaughter’s accomplishments, “When she told me she was accepted into the internship program I was very excited and happy to support her.” Mcclellan has always been a great support to Harvey giving her career advice, financial support, prayer and encouragement, “That’s what grandmothers do. I would always encourage her to be the best she can in whatever she chooses to be involved with.” A moment Mcclellan remembers most was a phone call she received from Harvey while in Washington D.C. “I remember when she called to tell me her and a group of interns had met with President Obama. When he spoke with the interns, she was in shock to be in the same room with him. I don’t think she’ll ever forget it,” Mcclellan said. While working in the Communications Department for the White House, Harvey was able to interface with reporters from different agencies and learned how communications field worked as whole. “I feel I have a broader understanding of news now,” Harvey said, “It prepared me for my career as a news reporter by giving me confirmation that this was the field I wanted to be in.” “Collectively we are all so proud of her,” Eleanor Harvey said, “I think she definitely has had her highs and her lows. There has been so many times on her journey she could have given up and settled for a regular life instead of chasing her dreams. She has the tenacity to prove she can and that speaks to who Reyna is as a person.” Interning for the White House brought many fond memories and opportunities for Harvey, “One of my favorite memories was attending the broadcast Christmas Party where I was able to get career advice from some of the people I admire most in the field of broadcast.” Currently, Harvey had moved to Quincy, Illinois where she is now working as a morning reporter for a local news station. “Every experience I had, especially when I interned with City News Group (CNG), gave me skills to build off of. CNG gave me the foundation I needed to research, interview, interact with others. I carried these skills with me to the White House.” Harvey hopes that her experiences will show others that their dreams can be achieved if they believe and give themselves the chance to. “I want to encourage young people and students to follow their passions. Don’t be discouraged and take calculated risks. Don’t allow financial burdens stop you from pursing your goals. Most importantly, don’t let self-doubt prevent you from going where you want. You are your best and worst critic.”