Schar School of Policy and Government Undergraduate Internships

Strong Research Skills and Internships Open Doors For December Graduate

Andrew J Schappert — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 21:23:56 +0000

Strong Research Skills and Internships Open Doors For December Graduate Andrew J Schappert Tue, 12/05/2023 - 16:23

Government and International Politics major Lydia Sigman interned in Senator Bob Casey’s office while taking classes at Mason.

Graduating senior Lydia Sigman could write the manual for college success—develop professional skills through internships, learn research skills through faculty-led projects, and secure a position with state government by graduation. This government and international politics major and Honors College student took full advantage of every ��AV opportunity and it shows. “I've always enjoyed politics and history, and I wanted to figure out how that interest would transfer into a real career,” says this Pennsylvania native who chose Mason for its proximity to D.C.

Using internships as a way to explore careers in public service, Sigman worked both in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and also in U.S. Senator Bob Casey’s office. “While interning in the U.S. Senate, I was still able to take classes and be with my friends on campus, which solidified all the reasons I chose Mason in the first place,” she explains.

Sigman also honed her research skills through the Schar School’s Undergraduate Research Assistant Program (URAP) where students are paired with faculty to conduct original research. Students develop presentation skills by participating in research fairs, and many become co-authors on publications as a result of their participation. Sigman first joined a team of students led by Professor Jennifer Victor which documented caucus relationships in the US Congress. The subsequent semester, Sigman worked with Professor Jonathan Gifford to write a case study examining why the public-private partnership for Interstate 69 construction was terminated earlier than scheduled. The topics Sigman explored illustrate the diversity of Schar School faculty expertise.

“I am excited to do policy work in my home state!”

Sigman points to the applicability of what she learned to her career development: “Having worked on large papers in classes and as a research assistant in the URAP project, I felt prepared to do a lot of research. I took those skills directly to my internship where I helped write briefings for the Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture. This required clear and confident skills in research and writing that I had developed as a student.”

Sigman credits her research experience as the reason she secured her first position post-graduation. In January, she will begin working full-time with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture in Harrisburg. Says Sigman, “I am excited to do policy work in my home state!”

In This Story

Jennifer N. Victor

Jonathan L. Gifford

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A Summer Internship in Spain Creates Lasting Friendships While Assisting Women in Need

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 17:20:36 +0000

A Summer Internship in Spain Creates Lasting Friendships While Assisting Women in Need Andrew J Schappert Wed, 08/09/2023 - 13:20

Gabriela Manzanares: ‘I never expected us to connect so well, and it's reassuring to know that we will maintain contact even after the internship.’

Gabriela Manzanares spent two months of her summer break visiting a facility where pregnant women and single mothers, many of them immigrants, came to acquire food and clothing for their children. The ��AV rising senior’s job several days a week was to assist Maria Victoria Calle Rodriguez, a lawyer for a nonprofit, as she helped the women navigate the sometimes-confusing legalities and customs they would encounter in establishing new lives in a new country with their young families.

The country was Spain.

Manzanares, a student in the Schar School of Policy and Government’s government and international politics program, spent June and July in Madrid, as an intern at the nonprofit Fundación Madrina—the Godmother Foundation.

It was the Stafford, Virginia, native’s first visit to Europe, and she found the internship rewarding and enriching in more ways than one.

“A lot of the women come from different countries, like Peru and Venezuela, and they’re seeking asylum,” she said. “They need help with bringing their children from another country and really don’t know how. [Lawyer] Victoria will read documents to them to help them understand their legal rights.”

While the work was meaningful to her and the women they helped, Manzanares found herself overcoming her initial shyness around strangers in a foreign country and learning to speak “Spanish Spanish and not the Central American Spanish that I speak,” she said, noting that her parents are from El Salvador. It wasn’t long before she was comfortable in her new surroundings with new friends.

“Victoria helped me open up,” she said. Soon, she said, was “close with everybody….I was most surprised by the excellent rapport I developed with my boss, Victoria. I never expected us to connect so well, and it's reassuring to know that we will maintain contact even after the internship.”

The work she performed for the foundation—for which she earned six credits toward her degree—increased her interest in joining the legal profession, with a serious eye on law school and/or in a law aspect of an intelligence agency after earning her BA with the Schar School. “The best thing about the internship was the hands-on experience I gained in the legal field while immersing myself in a new culture,” she said.

Mason and the Schar School are uniquely positioned to place students in significant internship roles throughout the year at institutions around the region, the country, and the world. Internships are important opportunities to experience “the real world” of the workplace beyond the classroom and they increase job prospects and earning potential with future employers. Manzanares’ experience in Madrid no doubt will contribute to her gaining acceptance to the law school of her choice.

And while she was gone for two months interning in Spain, did she miss anything from home? The food? Her family? Her classmates?

“My dog,” she said with a laugh. “I miss my dog so much, I’m not even kidding. His name is Lion. He’s a mastiff.”

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Internships? Meet the Schar School Senior Who Has Had 3 (and Is Seeking a 4th).

Andrew J Schappert — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 13:48:49 +0000

Internships? Meet the Schar School Senior Who Has Had 3 (and Is Seeking a 4th). Andrew J Schappert Tue, 10/05/2021 - 09:48

Fyzah Islam: ‘Never feel that you, especially if you are a person of color or as a woman, are underqualified for the job.’

��AV students have countless opportunities to get involved in research projects, build connections with people, and intern at key agencies and firms, ranging from the federal government to Fortune 500 companies. One student who has spent her undergraduate experience building life-long connections and gaining meaningful experiences is Fyzah Islam.

Islam is a senior pursuing a bachelor of arts degree in Government and International Politics and a master’s degree in International Commerce Policy through the Schar School’s Accelerated Master’s Program. But in addition, she has experienced three internships over the past three years.

“I had a let’s-apply-and-see-what-happens attitude for each internship,” she said of her motivation. Here is a brief recap of her internships and her takeaways.

First up, during the fall 2020 semester, Islam was a finance intern for the Democratic Attorney General’s Association (DAGA) “For DAGA, I was looking for something to get a foot into the professional world,” she said. “Working on election night was so hectic and entertaining, and it was a welcome distraction from all the presidential election drama. I have a newfound appreciation for poll counters and election reports. The stress of their job is enough to last all year.”

In the spring 2021semester, Islam was a political and communications intern for America Votes, where she helped double the social media presence of the national nonprofit organization. In the summer of 2021, she became a global corporate affairs intern for financial software giant Intuit.

“Intuit was my first internship where I was doing exactly what I wanted,” she said, acknowledging the benefits of the previous internships. “Researching existing policy and applying those implications to the future. Internships show you what you can have in your career future, and I hope my career mimics this internship.”

Islam learned about each of these internships through the University Career Services information portal, Handshake, a comprehensive listing of regional and local internships and job opportunities available to students.

Islam said each of her internships cumulatively helped her realize what career path she wanted. She hopes to complete her master’s degree while securing yet another internship with National Public Radio or a private company and eventually find herself working in international policy or data policy analysis. She’s even thinking about getting a second master’s degree in secondary education to begin teaching and motivating others to pursue their interests in international policy.

“Internships are so worth it,” she said of the effort to secure them and then stay in them. “If there is a company that interests you, check their website and apply. Never feel that you, especially if you are a person of color or as a woman, are underqualified for the job.

“Even if you only have one of the qualifications, you might fit. During my internship at Intuit, I was the only 19-year-old undergraduate in all my meetings. The rest of the interns in the policy department were in law school. You are qualified.”

When asked about how she manages to balance all her classes, work, and internships into her schedule Islam was candid: “In all honestly, it comes down to the fact that I don't know anything else than juggling 50 things at the same time. I've been doing this since first grade when I started Girl Scouts. It comes down to being best friends with your planner, having your phone glued to your hand, and having a support system that gets your brand on crazy—while encouraging you to have a break every so often.”