Sometimes life is stranger than what you would expect, with this election cycle being a prime example. If you had told me a year ago that businessman Donald Trump would be the presidential nominee for the Republican Party, I would have laughed at you.  Well, it happened. Election Day quickly approaches, so the party conventions will begin next week. As a member of the Monmouth Courier team, I will be bringing you coverage of the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. So before I report for you, let me introduce myself.
My name is Jacob Marx and am a senior here at Monmouth College studying Political Science and Journalism. I have long been addicted to politics, getting hooked after watching the historic 2008 Presidential Election. Since then, I have had the opportunity to attend the 2015 No Labels Convention in Manchester, New Hampshire (hearing from and meeting ten of the candidates on both sides), worked as an intern for the Illinois Treasurer, and spent last semester in Washington, D.C. as a student in the Washington Semester Program at American University. While in the District, I was an intern in the office of Congresswoman Cheri Bustos on Capitol Hill and served the people of the Illinois 17th Congressional District. I also hold leadership positions at both the local and state levels in  a few college political organizations.
My passion for journalism first came about during my senior year of high school, when I joined the Barb Wire. During my time as a reporter for the student run newspaper at DeKalb High School, I had the opportunity to learn how to write and think like a journalist. I wrote as the political columnist for the Courier this past year, writing about happenings and things that Monmouth students should know in the political arena. This year, I am serving as the political reporter for the Courier and also as a staff member for MC-TV.
Outside of Politics and Journalism, I run cross country for the college, scuba dive, serve as the Unit Leader of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary University Program Remote Collaborative Unit (ROTC for the Coast Guard), and am an Eagle Scout.
As well as reporting through the Monmouth Courier RNC blogspot page, I will also be posting updates on Snapchat (MCCourier) and on my personal Twitter page (https://twitter.com/Marxrunner13).
I look forward to reporting the news and stories from the Republican National Convention next week and hope you enjoy the work that the Monmouth Courier team and I put out.