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Samantha Giffen
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Every year, the Frederick E. Berry Institute of Politics (Berry IOP) awards scholarships to students pursuing internships in politics and public service. Internships allow students to gain hands-on experiences, develop skills, and explore their career interests. However, internships in these fields are often unpaid or underpaid, which makes it challenging for students to pursue them. Inspired by Senator Berry’s legacy, these scholarships create entry points and break down barriers for all students interested in pursuing careers in politics and public service.
For the summer of 2023, the Berry IOP awarded the following students with a Public Service Internship Scholarship of $3,500. As their internship came to an end, they took some time to reflect on the impact of the experience and the scholarship.
Miesha Acevado ‘24
Major: Political Science
Internship: Office of State Representative Dawne Shand
During Miesha’s internship, she held many responsibilities including writing memos, attending and summarizing hearings, creating social media content, sending constituent emails, research, representing the office at events, informing Representative Shand of important events in the district, and assisting the Legislative Aid as needed. Miesha shared that her “goal is to become a State Senator so being in the State House regularly and networking as well as seeing how it functions was super beneficial to understanding what my days could look like if I was elected.”
Cynthia Boyd ‘24
Major: Sociology
Internship: Organizing Intern with Neighbor to Neighbor of Lynn
During Cynthia’s internship, she held many responsibilities including canvassing the city of Lynn, explaining the local government system to Lynn residents, making connections with residents of Lynn, phone banking, and conducting one to ones with new and returning members. Cynthia’s favorite parts of the internship were “learning about the issues in my community and connecting with the residents while empowering them to make changes at a local level.”
Natalie Fenoff ‘23
Major: Geography and English
Internship: Archives Intern with the City of Westminster Archives Center
During Natalie’s internship, she worked on research tasks, learned to use digitizing and cataloging software, handled historic documents, and assisted in the preparation of an exhibition which will list her name in the credits. Natalie’s favorite part of the internship was “finding first-hand accounts of the London bombings in WWII and matching them with photos and digitizing them to be shared with guests of the archives [as well as] digitizing some of the incredible Gardner collection.”
Theresa Giard ‘23
Major: Public History Graduate Certificate
Internship: Saint Peter's Episcopal Church
During Theresa’s internship, her goal was to create a research project utilizing the church’s historic archives to document the organization’s complicity in the African Slave Trade in the 18th - 19th centuries. With this information, the parish will establish a plan for reparations to the African-American community in Salem. Theresa’s favorite part of the internship was “working collaboratively with parishioners Jill, Irene, and with Rev. Nathan and supporting them in their work to learn about their church's history.”
Liz Lawson ‘24
Major: Master of Social Work
Internship: Clinical Intern with Women’s Lunch Place
During Liz’s internship, she participated on the direct care team and the advocacy team. On the direct care team, she focused on providing meals and services to the guests as well as maintaining a clean and safe space. On the advocacy team, she sat down with guests to help them get connected to the long-term services they need, such as SNAP benefits, housing opportunities, and computer literacy. Liz’s favorite parts of the internship were “the team spirit and camaraderie working with the staff at WLP” as well as “creating positive experiences for the women that come into WLP by genuinely connecting with them.”
Nora McQuade ‘25
Major: History & Secondary Education
Internship: Field Director with Alice Merkl for Salem City Councillor At-Large Campaign
During Nora’s internship, she was involved in almost all aspects of the campaign including forming turfs in neighborhoods, organizing volunteers for canvassing, writing and editing campaign literature and social media posts, as well as organizing and preparing for fundraising and Meet the Candidate events. Nora’s favorite part of the internship was “helping to organize and attend weekly stand-outs in Salem where I was able to meet and talk to new voters and listen to the concerns that they are passionate about.”
Miah Reyes ‘24
Major: Political Science
Internship: Lead Intern with TurnUp Activism
During Miah’s internship, she led a small team of research analysts in weekly tasks and presentations. She attended weekly meetings to present her team's findings to the head of her department. Miah’s favorite part of the internship was improving her leadership and time management skills as well as meeting new people. She shared, “the perks of having a remote internship was meeting people from all over the country. I am still good friends with many of those I encountered during my time there.”
Hope Thurston ‘24
Major: Political Science
Internship: Office of State Representative Kathleen LaNatra
During Hope’s internship, she shadowed and assisted Representative LaNatra, her Chief of Staff, and her Legislative Aid by attending meetings, taking notes, working with county statistics, learning how to use canva, and engaging with other politicians in the State House. Hope’s favorite parts of the internship were “learning about the legislative process and networking with politicians.”
These scholarships are made possible, in part, through our generous donors. If you are interested in making a donation to support future public service internships, you can click here to make a gift.