Josephine Pettigrew spent her second co-op serving as a photo and video intern at the Massachusetts State House, documenting the activities of Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. Inside the Governor’s Press Office, she was tasked with filming speeches, fielding press and photo inquiries, producing content for social media, archiving news coverage, and updating the office with daily front page news clips. Josephine enjoyed behind-the-scenes access to local politics and traveled around the state, photographing events, meeting influential leaders, and occasionally helping the press team craft remarks for the Governor.
Josephine says many of the skills she leveraged on co-op were gained in the classroom at Northeastern.
“In Photo One with Julia Cybularz, I was taught how to have a good eye for a great photo, in terms of its lighting, color, and movement… [while] Narrative Filmmaking with Geoff Tarulli helped me develop the technical skills of editing with Adobe Premiere Pro.”
“If I had to pick some of my favorite experiences, they would be meeting the Québec Premier François Legault, having my photo printed on the front page of The Enterprise newspaper, and concluding my internship with a signed photo of me with the Governor… I always knew I loved photographing portraits and events, but this co-op made me realize that I could expand my network to a much higher scale … and it increased my self-confidence in my own work and social skills.”