When Adam Zuckerman agreed to intern for state Sen. Mark Herring’s re-election campaign, he knew that this wasn’t going to be another summer spent stacking boxes at Parcel Plus.

"I’m involved in something that has a little more meaning than Parcel Plus," said Zuckerman of Cascades, as he sits hunched over a messy notebook and a cell phone at the Ashburn Village Starbucks.

Zuckerman is noticeably not your typical politico. His mop of dark brown hair is uncombed and gel free and his tan T-shirt is comfortably untucked over a pair of gray cargo shorts. He plays electric guitar in an alternative rock band and won the Loudoun County All-Star Battle of the Bands two years ago. He’s also 20 years old.

Zuckerman, a rising junior at James Madison University, is one of many area students that chose to forgo well paying internships at Washington, D.C., investment banking firms and flexible positions at chain retailers for the chance to spend their summers working long and cheap hours on local political campaigns. But to these young political enthusiasts, the chance to work intimately with campaign managers and their candidates is both extremely rewarding and an invaluable learning experience.

TOMMY SCHONDER, 19, of Round Hill, who devotes three days per week to state Del. David E. Poisson’s re-election campaign, said that putting a successful campaign together is a lot more work than people realize.

"I was surprised at the time the candidate and the campaign manager spend to get the candidate elected," said Schonder, a rising sophomore and varsity running back at the College of William and Mary. "It’s not like you just put your name on the ballot and then see how you do."

Zuckerman said that he quickly realized that campaigns are not just about rallies and fliers in September, October and November. He and Schonder report directly to their respective campaign managers and perform a range of activities, including researching particular bills, calling and organizing volunteers, going door to door to speak with residents and helping to schedule events. Zuckerman reports to work at about 10 o'clock in the morning and sometimes doesn’t leave the office until as late as 9 o'clock at night.

"It’s a lot more than I was expecting to be involved with," said Zuckerman, "but I only occasionally have to do the intern thing."

ZUCKERMAN AND Schonder became fascinated with politics long before they entered college. Zuckerman worked on his mother’s campaign for School Board in 1999 and Schonder co-founded the Political Discussion Club at Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville as a nonpartisan group to discuss issues and host guest speakers.

After Poisson (D-32) spoke at one of the club’s first meeting, Schonder was so impressed with the politician that he jumped at the chance years later to help Poisson’s re-election campaign. "I really believe in Mr. Poisson so I especially wanted to work on his campaign," said Schonder.

Zuckerman, on the other hand, wasn’t personally acquainted with Herring (D-33) until he started working for the campaign. Wishing for a change of pace after summers of straining his back at Parcel Plus, Zuckerman contacted the Loudoun County Democrats in the spring to see how he could help the party and was told that the Herring re-election campaign could use an extra hand.

It didn’t take long for Zuckerman to become acquainted with Herring, however, who he said comes into the campaign headquarters everyday from his law office in Leesburg.

"In politics, sometimes you feel that candidates are pandering, but after talking to Mark, I know that he believes in what he’s doing," said Zuckerman.

EDENS DAVIS, 21, originally of Atlanta, Ga., has long felt that the closer he gets to politicians, the more he respects them. Davis, a rising junior at Emory University, once took a year and a half off of school to work on Georgian Gov. Sonny Perdue’s 2006 re-election campaign. Currently, Davis is living in Sterling for the summer while he works on behalf of Perdue at the Republican’s Governors Association and volunteers his free time to Republican Lynn Chapman’s campaign for state delegate in the 32nd District.

Davis was first introduced to the Chapman campaign by its campaign manager, a Georgian acquaintance. After learning that the 32nd District traditionally votes Republican, Davis became energized about the race, describing it as something fun to be involved in.

"Smaller campaigns are very intimate," said Davis. "The campaign manager and the interns work very closely with the candidate’s family."

ALL THREE INTERNS are optimistic about the role of the youth in future elections, as voters, volunteers and even candidates. Although neither will commit to running as a candidate themselves someday, they say that working on the campaign has inspired them to stay active in public service.

Youth does have its advantages during a campaign, Davis said, including its abundant energy and its freedom from time-consuming obligations such as caring for a family.

"It’s fun when you’re young and you can work the type of hours that the campaign wants you to work," said Davis.

However, Zuckerman knows that his generation can at times be cynical and even apathetic about the political process. He admits that none of his friends even knew who Herring was before he began working for the campaign.

But he believes that the indifference of his generation will collapse once campaigns begin to address the issues that most resonate with young voters.

"We’ll become less cynical when candidates start addressing the issues that matter to us," said Zuckerman. "There are issues that affect us as 18 and 20 year olds that don’t require us to be in our 30s with two kids."