WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Dartmouth student interned at White House

Dartmouth student interned at White House

Hanover, New Hampshire - January 13, 2010

A junior at Dartmouth College had a special internship over the Fall semester. Jordan Osserman got to work at the house the First Family calls home.

Jordan Osserman shows off some of the memorabilia he collected during his White House Internship. Like a menu from the elegant Navy Mess Restaurant in the West Wing and a program from a Latin Festival held inside the country's most famous house. For Osserman the entire experience was surreal.

"The experience of walking into the gates of the White House every morning and walking into the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and getting to work in a place that had so many important powerful people, every single day I thought it was pretty amazing, I never really got tired of it," said Osserman

The Dartmouth College junior was one of about 100 interns from across the county selected for the Fall semester. He spent most of his time working in press office focused on current events surrounding healthcare. But Osserman also got to attend a few White House events himself.

"There was actually a secret service party. There was a party outside of the White House thanking the Secret Service for the work they do and the whole first family showed up and I got to volunteer at that event so I met them there."))[Duration:0'13"]

The first family and the first dog Bo made international press when he first arrived at the White House, and for better or for worse, left a lasting impression on Osserman.

"Bo, I actually did see Bo a number of times running around the White House. He actually bit my hand once. Not very hard but I was petting him and he bit me," said Osserman.

A testy moment Osserman jokes about. But he says what really surprised him about the White House is how much business is accomplished, other than what's in the news.

"Everything from a holiday party, to H1N1, to announcements about he stimulus, there is just an incredible array of things that happen in the building every day, and I was really surprised at just how much work people do," said Osserman

Something this student who minors in government got to see first hand.

"Government is surprisingly accessible compared to how it seems from afar," said Osserman.

Osserman is the second student from Dartmouth to be selected to intern at the White House in the past 10 years.

Adam Sullivan - WCAX News