TCNJ

19 FALL 2023 TM: When you are covering these significant, national, and global events, what are you thinking from behind the lens? What are you trying to convey to the country and how do you do that? AW: My primary goal for this job is to increase empathy. And we do that with real-people stories. So it can be the survivors of the Sandy Hook school shooting who are of age and who are growing into activist roles for gun reform, like their counterparts in Parkland, Florida. We sent out the videos of the interviews with them but also edited a piece with them that was interwoven with the president's voice of what he'd like to see done. Both were really heartfelt. At the State of the Union, 8 my focus was on interview- ing the first lady's invited guests. I got to speak with the parents of Tyre Nichols, a Black man who was around my age and was murdered by police in Tennessee. It took everything in me to keep it together as I spoke with them. Last October, I traveled with the first lady to San Francisco for a Cancer Moonshot event. That one was personal: my mom had breast cancer, and I was her caregiver. I met with the head of the American Cancer Association. Then in April, there was a White House event to commemorate an Executive Order to expand support for caregivers. I saw one of the activists in an elevator and she said, "This day means so much." In moments like that, I feel like I am making a difference. There are these incredible stories of resilience or survi- vorship, but there are also people who advocate for these issues, too. You can see the work of this administration in the lives of people. TM: How do you stay true to yourself in a job like this? AW: We have something called the tradesman route, and that's typically how I will enter and come through the White House now. That's where the kitchens are, and the floral shop, and those kinds of things. And that's what I walk through daily. I think about all of the people who historically had to use the tradesman route — those enslaved servants, Black folks — and I situate myself in the space. I ask myself, "What am I here for? Why am I doing this?" This job is about pushing the president's agenda, and he says, "This is the People's House," and I really try to stay connected and grounded in that. We typically think of politics as maybe convoluted, and separated from us as individuals. Most people think that inside these walls there's a lot of cynicism and selfishness. But when you actually get here, and you work inside of government, you realize there are real people who care. 9 I've met so many different people inside the administration, or who have worked with the administration, who are very genuine and sincere. They are doing work that I don't think we always talk about, but has real impact. And that's been a beautiful thing to see. ■ 8 After the State of the Union, staff gathered to give President Biden a clap out. 9 Watson poses in the EEOB's Secretary of War Suite. Reflecting on his year he says, "I could have never imagined all this." PHOTOS: 1. Mike Morgan; 2. Official White House photo by Adam Schultz; 3. Courtesy of Aaron Watson; 4. Mike Morgan; 5. Courtesy of Aaron Watson; 6. Official White House photo by Erin Scott; 7. Official White House photo by Adam Schultz; 8. Official White House photo by Adam Schultz; 9. Mike Morgan 8 9

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