2022 Segal Fellow Summer Internships

2022 Heller MPP Segal Fellow Catherine Gooding interned this summer with the Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ). CCJ's mission is "to improve policy and regulations for the oversight of fossil fuel extraction and use; to educate, empower and organize coalfield residents; and to protect public and environmental health." Catherine's core focus was to research, draft comments, and provide resources on the federal/state funding available through the American Rescue Plan Act, Infrastructure Bill, and any reconciliation packages that will support the economy and quality of life for communities in Greene County. She supported CCJ's work by increasing access to federal and state resources at the local level. This prepared local governments to better access investments that improve the water quality, economic opportunities, and health of their communities. Catherine developed leadership skills in learning to work with diverse communities that have struggled with poverty. She got a first-hand look at how federal policy can be implemented at the local scale and all the barriers still in place for underserved communities to utilize federal programs.

2022 Brandeis Segal Fellow Gabriella Lieberman interned in Washington, D.C., this summer with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, better known as AIPAC (in a private, individual internship not funded by The Segal Program). AIPAC exists to strengthen the U.S.- Israel relationship through direct involvement in the American political process. Gabriella, as an intern on the AIPAC Political team, worked directly with Democratic and Republican members of Congress and congressional candidates to secure the future of the U.S.- Israel relationship. Through the AIPAC Diamond Summer Internship program, Gabriella developed skills in the areas of political activism, verbal and written communication, public speaking, resource development and many others.

2022 Heller MPP Segal Fellow Vianny Rodriguez interned this summer with the ACLU of Massachusetts. She interned in their Field Department, focusing on the Know Your Sheriff campaign, a public education and voter education campaign about the roles and responsibilities of sheriffs leading up to the elections this coming fall. She also supported other Field Department projects, such as the response to the Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs case and the implementation of the Work and Family Mobility Act.

2022 Brandeis Segal Fellow Jolecia Saunderson interned this summer with The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund Inc.'s (LDF) Thurgood Marshall Institute. LDF is one of the country’s leading civil and human rights legal organizations. The Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) complements LDF’s traditional litigation strengths and brings critical capabilities to the fight for racial justice, including research and targeted advocacy campaigns. As a Segal Fellow with TMI, Jolecia conducted research for initiatives, campaigns, and projects, assisted with communications, and supported the planning, logistics, and execution of events.

2022 Heller MPP Segal Fellow Shania Thomas was excited to work this summer toward creating more human-centered policies that positively affect or even ameliorate the impact of unmet health-related social needs in the aging population. Shania interned with Altarum, a nonprofit organization that works with federal and state health agencies and foundations to improve health outcomes of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. She supported their Nursing Home person-centered care and quality improvement work through identifying relevant federal actions, literature scans, and summary reporting, as well as supporting their economic model for the workforce and other projects. Shania is also took part in a hands-on shadowing of the NY Personal Touch Project, to expand her qualitative research experience.

2022 Heller MPP Segal Fellow Hannah Wilcove interned this summer with Mass NOW, which for over 50 years, has been one of the leading multi-issue, multi-strategy feminist organizations in he Commonwealth. The Mass NOW Foundation convenes and educates their feminist community through innovative, community-driven programming. The Mass NOW Inc. advocates for intersectional feminist policy on the local and state level that promotes equity and justice. Through their Segal Internship, Hannah became immersed in the feminist policy movement in Massachusetts, both through policy and community organizing. Hannah was responsible for communication and collaboration with multiple diverse communities.