Jake Strickland

Grady DC Field Study & Internship Program

Hometown: Dallas, GA

Majors: Public Relations, Political Science; Certificate in Public Affairs Communications (Double Dawg – M.A. in Public Relations)

Colleges: Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication, School of Public & International Affairs (SPIA)

Career goals: I would like to work on Capitol Hill as a Communications Director for a progressive Senator or Representative.

Class of 2022

*EL Scholarship Recipient

Jake spent a summer in Washington, DC, working as a Digital Marketing Intern for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ Civil Rights organization.

"Overall, my experience with The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) was phenomenal. It was an incredible honor to work for an organization that I had so long admired, and I just hope that the digital presence I constructed this summer will show LGBTQ+ people, particularly vulnerable LGBTQ+ youth, that they matter and that there is a world of people out there who love and support them exactly as they are."

Jake Strickland standing in front of the Human Rights Campaign headquarters

"Grady DC built my future by exposing me to how Washington works, particularly the importance of networking and strong relationship-building. My specific position was the Digital Media & Marketing Intern. In my role, I drafted social media posts and developed the organization’s first-ever HBCU sexual health directory. I engaged with such platforms as Google Analytics and CRAFT, which both allowed me to see how analytics can and should drive digital decisions. This internship also helped me develop leadership skills.

Perhaps the most enriching experience of the opportunity was the ability to network with LGBTQ+ leaders. I encountered people specializing in graphic design, videography, and other important departments within HRC. When asked how I felt to be leaving, I shared that I was sad but did not have any regrets: I felt as though I got everything out of the internship that I possibly could."

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GRADY DC FIELD STUDY & INTERNSHIP PROGRAM