From City Hall to Congress, Northeastern co-op student finds his voice on Mayor Wu’s speechwriting team
The opportunity has taken Eli Curwin from Boston to Washington, where he helped with the congressional testimony Wu gave on the city’s immigration policies.
When Boston Mayor Michelle Wu testified before Congress in March on the city’s immigration policies, Eli Curwin — a fourth-year political science and journalism major at Northeastern University — was in the hearing room, listening to his work come to life.
As a co-op on Wu’s speechwriting team this semester, Curwin helped research and proofread the remarks she delivered on Capitol Hill, part of a hands-on role that’s taken him from Boston City Hall to Washington, D.C.
“Every day, we’re working on something cool,” Curwin said. “It’s such an exciting experience, speaking with members of the community and hearing what issues are important to people. It’s what makes this job so rewarding.”
For his co-op, Curwin helps draft remarks, letters and scripts for Wu with the other three members of his team. The job involves research, fact-checking, editing and proofreading addresses, all written in Wu’s voice.
Since starting in January, Curwin has already played a part in recent pivotal moments for the mayor, including her Congressional testimony which he witnessed in person.
“We woke up super early (and) found another Northeastern alum who is working in a congressional office who was able to get us through the tunnels…to the hearing room before anyone else,” Curwin said. “We were able to get seats simply because of that and that was a fascinating experience to be in the room where something like that was happening. There was an energy shift after she finished speaking. What she said spoke to so many people, and to be a part of that was incredible to me.”
Similarly, Curwin helped with fact-checking for the state of the city address and was backstage behind the teleprompter at MGM Music Hall while the mayor spoke.
“(Those were) two incredible experiences that I’m so grateful to have been a part of,” he said. “Since this new federal administration came into power, so many people felt their identities were being erased and their stories weren’t being told. To be able to contribute to something that made people feel heard, that made people proud to be part of the city, it was just such a rewarding experience.”
But the job is more than just writing for major events. Curwin and his team also work on social media scripts and speeches for Wu’s appearances around the city.
“A few weeks ago, the city helped this developer buy an apartment complex to make 350 units of market rate housing and I got the first go at that speech,” Curwin said. “Affordable housing is an issue that’s incredibly important to me and here I am writing the mayor’s speech for that. To be a part of something so impactful on the community, it is just such an exciting experience.”
Curwin, who has a minor in law and public policy, was drawn to this co-op because of his passions for writing, politics and community engagement, three areas he’s already been able to explore during his time at Northeastern.
Since his second semester, Curwin has worked for The Huntington News. He is now the student paper’s business manager, but previously served as editor-in-chief and a reporter.
During his sophomore year, Curwin covered the Massachusetts governor’s race, biking around the city and talking to residents, which gave him a taste of Boston politics and writing for and about the community. He also did a co-op at Boston.com, where he covered everything from police in schools to a local community center using inflatables to scare off turkeys.
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Curwin was also a member of Northeastern Young Democratic Socialists of America and Peace through Play, a student organization that volunteers with Boston Public School students.
“Three very different student organizations … all showed me and led me to different experiences throughout the city and brought me different skill sets,” Curwin said. “(With Peace through Play) I got a good sense of being out in the community. YDSA … instilled in me this great sense of advocacy and making an impact. And then with the Huntington News, (I learned about) writing, reporting, talking to people, asking questions and being curious.”
When it came time for his second co-op, Curwin wanted to explore a different field that would still let him write, indulge his love of politics, and feel like he was giving back to his community. So when he saw the co-op on the speechwriting team (the first of its kind for the mayor’s office), he jumped at the chance.
Since joining, Curwin said he’s been able to explore not only a new potential career path, but a new approach to writing.
“In journalism, it’s all about your ability to convey stories and engage the rest of the community,” he said. “In this job, we’re trying to make (a speech) compelling as beautiful and poetic, but also we want the people in Boston to understand the vision.”
That’s not something you always see in journalism, Curwin said.
“You’re not always focused on the craft of creating the most engaging piece,” he added. “You have to justify every single word as being the most efficient and informative. With a speech, we can linger on a beautiful moment that’s really going to resonate.
“If you don’t love writing and communicating through words, the job won’t feel nearly as exciting or compelling. There are moments where I’m just sitting and going like this is the most incredible job I’ve ever had. If you’re interested in political science or uplifting like the city and you also love writing, this is a job I would recommend to you.”
