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UConn Students Gain Valuable Experience in Federal Policy Work through Summer Internships

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Samantha Valle and Rebecca Dorsey, two graduate students from the University of Connecticut's Master of Public Policy (MPP) and Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs, spent 10 weeks immersing themselves in federal policy work in Washington, D.C. This experience gave them a front-row seat to how policy is debated, shaped, and implemented, and helped them sharpen their own visions for future careers in public service.

Key Takeaways:

  • Samantha Valle, a May 2024 graduate with a degree in political science and women's, gender, and sexuality studies, participated in the Postsecondary National Policy Institute (PNPI) Summer Scholars program, where she focused on postsecondary education issues such as affordability, access, and support for underserved students.
  • Valle's internship work was focused on issues such as predatory student loans and financial aid, which were of particular interest to her as a Pell Grant recipient.
  • Rebecca Dorsey, a 2025 graduate with a degree in English and political science, worked as an election protection intern for Issue One, a cross-partisan political reform organization, where she conducted research, joined legislative and policy team meetings, and contributed to Issue One's Faces of Democracy campaign.
  • Dorsey's internship allowed her to see the importance of elections administration and the challenges faced by election officials, and she developed interview questions and spoke with election officials from Hawaii, Virginia, and New York.
  • Both Valle and Dorsey's experiences in D.C. helped them shape their career goals, with Valle realizing a passion for the state level of government and Dorsey becoming more interested in state-level advocacy and policy work.

Statistics:

  • 10 weeks: The duration of the internship programs for both Valle and Dorsey.
  • 45 minutes: The time it took Dorsey to commute from her home in Maryland to Issue One's offices in Washington, D.C. via the Metro.

Sources:

  • Contributed photo: Valle and Dorsey in their internship settings.
  • Valle and Dorsey's personal accounts and statements in the article.
  • Postsecondary National Policy Institute (PNPI) Summer Scholars program.
  • Issue One organization.
  • University of Connecticut's Master of Public Policy (MPP) and Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs.

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