Winnie Dau was an intern on the Catt Center’s Archives of Women’s Political Communication this summer and will be continuing on as an archives intern for the 2025-2026 academic year. She wrote this reflection paper as part of the requirements for completing an internship for her political science major.
By Winnie Dau, senior in political science and Catt Center intern
As the summer ends here in Iowa, I reflect on my time as the archival intern at the Iowa State University Carrie Chapman Catt Center Archives of Women’s Political Communication. In this role, I analyzed, transcribed, and collected women’s political speeches and interviews, as well as updated and wrote biographies. These responsibilities allowed me to strengthen my research and organizational skills, gain experience with WordPress, and contribute 29 new transcriptions to the archives, covering material from 1858 through 2025.
When I began this internship, my primary goals were to develop broader research skills and expand my political education. Engaging with diverse forms of women’s political communication revealed how similar theories and concepts are expressed across different movements and periods.
For example, examining suffragists alongside Civil Rights leaders, Indigenous activists, and contemporary politicians illustrated both continuity and change in women’s rhetoric. Pauli Murray’s speeches highlighted the intersections of civil rights and women’s rights, while Haunani-Kay Trask emphasized the urgency of Indigenous sovereignty and environmental protection. Similarly, Maria Pearson’s advocacy for repatriation revealed how cultural identity and political activism are intertwined. Severn Suzuki’s address at the Rio Earth Summit demonstrated the global reach of women’s voices in shaping debates on climate change—an impact echoed in more recent figures like Greta Thunberg. Taken together, these examples showed me that women’s political communication is not only historically significant but also transformative in shaping political narratives and movements.
A critical aspect of interning in the archives was its public service dimension. While my work did not involve direct interaction with the public, I came to understand the importance of preserving women’s political communication as a resource for students, researchers, and the broader community. Much of recorded political history privileges male voices; contributing to an accessible archive of women’s political speeches ensures that future generations can learn from a more inclusive and accurate record of political history.
This experience taught me concrete skills in archival research, transcription, writing, editing, and digital archival tools. More broadly, I gained confidence as a researcher and developed a deeper appreciation for the role of women in politics. I came to see that archival preservation is not passive record-keeping, but active participation in shaping how political history is remembered. Ultimately, this internship sharpened my academic research skills and gave me a stronger understanding of how communication shapes political power and representation. I am glad to be continuing my role as the archival intern this year, and I know the skills I continue to build will serve me well as I continue to apply to law school.