ST. PAUL  — To some, the best way to learn is through hands-on experience, and this week Hannah Wahlen has received several armfuls of experience.

Wahlen, 18, daughter of Racine Police Chief Kurt Wahlen and his wife, Jan, was at this week’s Republican National Convention as part of an internship program provided by the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. The program is giving approximately 80 students interested in politics a chance to experience the convention from a variety of perspectives, from working with state delegations to working with broadcast outlets and print media.

Wahlen, who is interested in journalism, jumped at the chance to work with The Washington Times. But unlike being an errand runner as some of her fellow interns are doing with organizations like CNN, Wahlen is working hands on as a reporter. She has had a couple of bylined stories in the Times this week, and has assisted reporters on several others by getting quotes from those attending the convention inside and outside the Xcel Energy Center, site of the convention.

Her assignments have included covering the convention of the Libertarian-leaning Ron Paul that is going on at the same time as the RNC at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Wahlen also compiled a report on reaction to the controversy over the pregnancy of GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol.

For Friday’s edition of the Times, Wahlen was assigned to gauge the impact of the Wednesday night speech by Palin in terms of whether it was the defining point of the convention. She was also to get quotes from delegates about the speeches made Thursday night, the final day of the convention.

Wahlen’s sources for the stories are everyone from people on the streets of St. Paul to delegates on the convention floor to sources reached by phone.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people from Texas because there’s so many of them (at the convention) and you can always find them in the aisles with their cowboys hats,” Wahlen said. Wahlen has also been able to experience some of the large protests and violence occurring outside the Xcel Center.

A roommate of Wahlen’s experienced tear gas and pepper spray when she ventured too far into the fray. Wahlen said she wasn’t scared, but called the experience “a little nerve wracking.”

A sophomore philosophy major at Elmhurst College in suburban Chicago, Wahlen also was confronted by what she described as “anarchist” protestors while stopping by a vegan restaurant. She said the convention credentials she wore around her neck were enough to set off the protestors, who verbally sparred with Wahlen, but did not harm her.

On the flip side, Wahlen on Wednesday had coffee with a few of the hundreds of law enforcement officers and firefighters assigned to the area around the Xcel Center. Wahlen said the officers got a kick out of her knowledge of law enforcement that comes from having a police chief as a dad. Another aspect of the convention Wahlen has experienced is the constant criticism of the media.

She said the Times, a conservative newspaper, “is more liked here than the Washington Post, which is nice when I’m interviewing.” Wahlen was nominated for the two-week, tuition paid internship with the Washington Center by her college.

The first week of the program involved introductory seminars about the process of putting on a national political convention. Speakers included local officials as well as former U.S. Rep. Mickey Edwards, R-Okla., and Jo Ann Davidson, co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. After the convention wraps up, Wahlen will be returning to Washington, where she is working this fall in the office of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

Wahlen’s responsibilities there include scheduling and corresponding with constituents. Wahlen worked over the summer in Ryan’s Racine office.

Home schooled during her high school years, Wahlen said she is considering applying to law school after she graduates from Elmhurst.

A former Miss Wisconsin Junior Teen, Wahlen also is not ruling out future pageants.

“Look at Sarah Palin. She was a beauty queen, so you never know what you can do with that (experience),” Wahlen said.

Local teen experienced convention from many angles