Date: Fri 21-Mar-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

schools-White-House-intern

Full Text:

Lisa Rigoli Has Been Reading

The President's Mail

Lisa Anne Rigoli spent her fall semester at George Mason University as a White

House intern.

-Bee Photo, Evans

Lisa snapped this photo of President Bill Clinton at a November reelection

victory party, surrounded by the Secret Service.

-Photo Courtesy Lisa Rigoli

B Y D OROTHY E VANS

It's not every college student that manages to pick up 15 more credit hours

while working in the White House reading the president's mail and attending

election victory parties.

Last semester was definitely a memorable time for 1993 Newtown High graduate

Lisa Anne Rigoli, who is now finishing up her undergraduate career as a senior

at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

It just so happens that George Mason is only 12 miles across the Potomac River

from the nation's capitol - just a "short ride on the Metro Line" from the

White House, said Lisa, who made that commute at least twice daily last fall.

As a public administration major at George Mason's Public Policy Institute,

Lisa spent four months from September to December working at the White House

in the presidential correspondence office.

She was one of more than 20 student interns whose sole job it was to read all

of President Bill Clinton's incoming mail - then analyze, sort and answer it.

There were some aspects of the position that were not easy though, Lisa said

during a recent interview at The Newtown Bee.

For one thing, she needed a security clearance and, for another, she was told

not to talk to the press at all during the entire period of her internship.

Also, she needed to do a major overhaul of her wardrobe. Wearing casual

college-type clothes in the White House just wouldn't do, Lisa said.

Despite these inconveniences, Lisa called the experience "amazing" and, now

that the job is over, she's glad to be free to talk about it.

It was Tuesday, March 11, when Lisa came into The Bee office to share some of

those memories. She was between semesters and had come back to the Brushy Hill

Road home of her parents, Charlene and Vincent Rigoli, during her vacation

break.

Recalling the most exciting details of her White House internship was not

difficult.

"It was incredible, intermingling with a staff that was so sharp yet down to

earth," said Lisa, describing how it felt to be one of only 250 students

accepted for White House internship positions in 11 administrative

departments.

There were 1,500 students who applied for those positions from colleges and

universities all over the country, Lisa said, so she felt especially lucky to

have gotten an assignment.

Lisa was one of 20 interns posted in the correspondence office, working for

Director of Correspondence James Dorskind. Her duties included reading and

answering letters from students, making out schedules for presidential TV

spots and helping draft proclamations and special gift citations.

"Anything that had the presidential seal on it went through our office," Lisa

said.

As if opening and answering the president's mail weren't exciting enough,

being in the White House during the last days of the 1996 presidential

campaign ranked right up there, Lisa added.

President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore and their families included Lisa

and the other interns in the November victory celebrations, she said.

"He [President Clinton] flew the entire staff of more than 250 people to

Arkansas" for the acceptance speech and parties, Lisa said, and she'll never

forget traveling on the chartered White House jet or being a part of the

parade of nine Coach buses that paraded through the streets of Little Rock.

She remembers being present in the Democratic Party "War Room" when the

president gave his acceptance speech, and she later attended an "amazing"

victory party with other White House staff members, interns and volunteers.

"We weren't sure he'd actually come - there were so many parties going on at

once. About 14, I think. He had so many supporters to thank. But when we saw

the Secret Service people come in the door, we knew," Lisa said with a broad

grin, her black eyes sparkling.

She has a scrapbook that includes several candid photographs of that victory

party, showing Hillary Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and President Clinton

as they entered the cheering crowd. The president was surrounded by his Secret

Service detail.

"He also shook my hand," Lisa recalled, remembering a picture session with all

the White House interns during which he actually stood next to her.

"Luckily, he came in on the side I was on," she added.

Remembering everything that happened during those four months, Lisa admitted

it might not be easy to settle down again to college life as usual.

She would be leaving Newtown the next day to drive back to Virginia and George

Mason, a school that she said had "done a lot" for her.

"It's not a traditional college," she said, noting it allowed her to combine

her public administration major with a minor in global systems and

international studies.

Lisa has always been involved in student government and has gone all the way

through the Newtown system, starting with kindergarten at Middle Gate School.

Lisa is getting back to her studies at George Mason University, looking

forward to a May graduation.

As for what's next, Lisa isn't sure.

"I'd love to stay in the Washington area. The White House offered me a job

right after the internship, but I had to finish school," she said, adding they

indicated there might be something there for her after she graduated.

"But I haven't decided yet," Lisa said.

One thing you can count on: after a running start this fall, Lisa Anne Rigoli

will stay in politics, one way or another.