Political Science

When Rebekah Gantner (’10) was 16, she listened to a daily radio show hosted by a pro-life, pro-family organization. “Through that I knew that I wanted to work full time to preserve our freedoms,” she said. Recently, Rebekah took the next step in fulfilling her vision when she became executive director at the national headquarters of Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum Education Center in St. Louis, MO.

While a student in PCC’s political science program, Rebekah completed internships to gain experience in addition to her classroom education. In 2008, she interned at Eagle Forum where she got first-hand experience with broadcasting, campaigning, and writing. “God showed me through my internship that my involvement in the conservative movement was His will for my life,” she said.

After graduation, Rebekah immediately began fulfilling her vision of serving people and making a difference. She worked as an administrative assistant for Wisconsin Family Action; served as a resident assistant/house director at a maternity shelter for homeless women; and served as a live-in caregiver for physically and mentally disabled individuals.

Earlier this year, she was hired at the Eagle Forum Education Center, an organization that provides publications, conferences, leadership seminars, and media programs to educate the public on conservative values. As the Education Center executive director, Rebekah’s responsibilities vary from handling media relations and acting as marketing developer, to planning meetings and conferences, and writing newsletters. “The aspect I appreciate the most about my job is the opportunity and privilege to work alongside Phyllis on a daily basis. She has forty-plus years of experience that I can learn from,” Rebekah said.

Rebekah believes her internship at Eagle Forum helped secure her current position. She encourages students, “Get as much experience as you can through internships, fellowships, etc. The experience is invaluable and will serve as a great asset in securing a job after graduation.”

To students interested in political science, Rebekah says, “Our world desperately needs Christians who promote and defend conservative values in our society.” And as one of those Christians, Rebekah is eager to make a difference.

As an intern for the Center for Health Policy Studies, Katelyn King dives into each new experience with knowledge from her political science degree.

On the first day of spring, residents of Washington, D.C., were greeted with yet more snowy weather. For Katelyn King (’14), unique weather like this is just one more reminder that God has brought her somewhere new, somewhere special.

When Katelyn began considering what to do with her political science degree, an internship at The Heritage Foundation was not on her list of possibilities. But when Katelyn put her résumé on a job bank managed by The Heritage Foundation, the organization noticed her education and work experience and offered her an internship at the Center for Health Policy Studies in the nation’s capital. Ultimately, though, Katelyn knows that it was God who opened the door. “God greatly blessed me with this position,” Katelyn said. “Nothing happens in our life that He has not orchestrated.”

Since Katelyn had lived in the South her entire life, accepting the position meant moving away from much of what she had known. Katelyn said, “Being in one of the largest cities in the country has come with different challenges. The entire culture in D.C. is unlike anything I have ever lived with, and I constantly have to rely on God to get me through all of the circumstances.”

Despite the challenges, Katelyn loves what she is doing. She spends the majority of her days researching health-related topics such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare. Her other responsibilities include attending weekly policy briefings and making charts and graphs using data from the Congressional Budget Office.

Through lectures sponsored by The Heritage Foundation, Katelyn has also been able to hear several influential political figures including Senator Ted Cruz; Congressman Paul Ryan; and Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of Afghanistan.

In March, Katelyn’s article “Why Congress Must Take the Time to Do Medicare Doctor Payments Right” was published online by the Daily Signal. In this piece, Katelyn uses her research to encourage Congress to “battle for the best” rather than settling for an easier or quicker decision concerning Medicare legislation.

Katelyn is thankful for the education she received at PCC, especially through her political science classes, which prepared her to do in-depth research, compile data, and write effectively. Katelyn said, “PCC played a crucial role in my being prepared for a vigorous internship in the nation’s capital. Through my political science classes, I was able to gain the knowledge that would help me in every aspect for working at a think tank.”

Though he began his law firm just months ago, PCC Political Science graduate Joshua Hershberger (’08) has an expansive repertoire of success. Balancing his time as partner of Castor & Hershberger, P.C.; director of Project in Law, Liberty, and Religion; and assistant minister of Cornerstone Baptist Church, he devotes his career to defending religious rights and giving citizens a voice.

In his practice, Josh focuses on non-profit compliance and first amendment law. His most recent efforts to defend first amendment law involved leading the compliance efforts for evangelistic ministries attending the Super Bowl in Indianapolis. Interpreting the city-county code, he secured the right for ministries to share the gospel at a public event, persuading so effectively that those ministering even received police protection at the game.

This defense pitted him against seasoned attorneys. “I have to negotiate with government entities and other attorneys twenty to thirty years my senior,” he said. “Pensacola Christian College provided the perfect education for my interesting calling.”

That “interesting calling” involves being an innovator.

“So far, God has called me to start things,” Josh said. “Sometimes this gets tiresome, but it has also put me face to face against some of the toughest cultural/spiritual questions of our day.”

Josh is currently launching a non-profit called Project in Law, Liberty, and Religion through which he can subsidize some of his traveling and pro bono legal activities. Teaming with another attorney, he gained a grant from the Alliance Defense Fund to pursue the IRS and stop the political prohibition against pastors speaking out on politics, an action that shows his passion to fight for the religious freedoms of the next generation.

“I am beginning to line up speaking engagements at churches concerning the culture war and what the Scripture says about political involvement,” he said. Now at the onset of his thriving career, Josh attributes much of his success to the foundational training he received at PCC.

“I greatly appreciate the variety of skills I learned and the depth of the instruction I received while in college. PCC gave me a great breadth of knowledge in my field, along with the grammar, persuasive writing, and speech skills that have been critical to the success of my legal career.”