Alumna Kelsey Walsh returned to her alma mater as she makes waves in the role of a 2024 Campaign Reporter and Producer for ABC News. Graduating in 2017 with a double major in Communication and Politics, Walsh currently serves as a Campaign Embed for the state of New Hampshire covering the 2024 presidential race. During a ‘Pizza and Politics’ event with the New Hampshire Institute of Politics student ambassadors, Walsh discussed her career in politics and news with current students.“On the campaign trail, every day is different,” Walsh said. Her role covers everything from reports on campaign speeches, policy platforms, and voter perspectives, to on-the-ground events.
Walsh shared how campus visits from prominent women in politics inspired her during her time as a student. As an example Walsh recalled, “Huma Abedin was here, she was standing on the front steps of St. Anselm, and I was like, oh my gosh, that person is the right hand to Hillary Clinton. That’s unheard of, Chief of Staff were all males.” Walsh’s respect for trailblazing women such as Abedin served as a driving force behind her aspirations to enter the arena of political reporting.
Now, Walsh is having her very own pinch-me moment. “I would have never imagined standing in front of a room full of people who are curious to hear my career history five years ago,” she admits. “As a student, I admired so many people who spoke in front of me, so to have this opportunity is once in a lifetime.”
When looking back on her college experience, Walsh urges current students to embrace the hands-on opportunities offered by Saint Anselm College and the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. She encourages students to take advantage of opportunities that provide unparalleled access to political figures, especially during presidential campaign season. “You have remarkable access to these people who are running for the highest office in the land,” she said.
However, when Walsh reflects on her experiences at Saint A’s, she doesn’t dwell on her academic achievements. Instead, she cherishes the female relationships she forged along the way. “I would be nowhere in my career, professionally and personally, if it weren’t the female professors who taught me, the female staff who raised me, and the females that I befriended my roommates, my peers, who helped lift me to who I am today. St. Anselm embodies female empowerment, strength, humility, and grace,” she said.
This foundation has served as inspiration for Walsh in her career, encouraging her to shatter the glass ceiling in her field of political reporting. “I cover presidential campaigns, and we have a group text called ‘the girls on the bus.’ Back in the day, it was all male reporters on the bus. But right now, most reporters covering the 2024 election are female. And I think we’re just getting started.”
During her time at Saint A’s, Walsh was a White House intern for the Obama administration in the Office of Presidential Correspondence. Walsh’s role was to go through letters to President Obama every day and respond to citizens across the United States, helping to select the ten letters read by the President each day. As current Saint A’s students anxiously await to hear about the potential upcoming debate this January, Walsh fondly recalls her time spent as a student runner assigned to ABC News during the 2016 presidential debate.
Before taking on her role as an embed, Walsh served as an associate producer for ABC News Special Events, a team dedicated to covering breaking news. When asked about her biggest career highlights Walsh recalls her assignment to travel to England to cover the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
As Walsh continues to make her mark on the national stage of political reporting, her reflections on the impact of female relationships at Saint Anselm serve as an inspiring narrative. Her story encapsulates the essence of an education that transcends beyond textbooks, emphasizing the importance of mentorship, female camaraderie, and the collective strength of women lifting each other toward success. “Tonight, I hope that someone saw themselves in what I have done in my career.”
