2023 Segal Fellow Summer Internships

2023 Brandeis Segal Fellow Jovita Bell interned at Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA) through her Health Career Connections internship. During her internship, Jovita actively participated in prioritizing behavioral health initiatives and supporting educational efforts by conducting policy research and attending stakeholder and state agency meetings, and legislative hearings. Jovita also organized MHA's Training Medical Students to Be the Change webinar, focusing on How Medical Schools are Addressing Teaching Inclusive Medical Models of Care. This webinar spread awareness on how medical schools implement culturally competent care models in their school's curriculum. Jovita's work focused on the the health and wellness of those disproportionately impacted from a scarcity of health resources and bridging the gap to more accessible and equitable healthcare. She strengthened her research and data analysis skills and gained more exposure on the policy side of public health.

2023 Heller MPP Segal Fellow Saynab Maalin interned with MassINC this summer. There, she focused on supporting the development of a comprehensive housing strategy for the city of New Bedford, MA. Saynab assisted with data collection and analysis, as well as policy research, examining housing programs and regulations in New Bedford while capturing best practices in peer cities. She continued to develop her skills in research and public speaking, and got more practice writing research projects. During her internship, Saynab learned about housing, especially what's happening throughout the state. MassINC invited Saynab to stay on in a paid capacity in the fall of 2023 to continue her engagement.

2023 Heller MPP Segal Fellow Katherine Nace,  interned with Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts (PLSMA) this summer. There, she served as their policy and communications fellow focusing on the intersection of policy making, public education, and communications. Her work included, but was not limited to, items such as drafting and collaborating with community partners and clients on testimony for bills, meetings with key legislators and coalitions, and implemented an 8-week social media campaign on PLS' priority legislation.

Katherine was proud to to center voices of incarcerated individuals, continuing to challenging the current narratives and approaches to our legal system. She enjoyed (1) learning more about the processes for hearings, testimonies and briefings while (2) connecting with both those most impacted and Massachusetts legislators to learn about how PLS can better advocate for policy change. Katherine was invited to stay on in a paid capacity with PLS in the fall of 2023.

2023 Brandeis Segal Fellow Anthony Ruiz interned in Atlanta, GA this summer with the Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network (GAIN). GAIN exists to provide quality pro-bono representation to asylum-seekers seeking refuge in the U.S, and was created in response to a critical lack of representation for asylum-seekers within one of the toughest immigration courts in the nation in 2005 as a part of the Atlanta Asylum Bar Project. Anthony, as an intern on the GAIN legal team, worked directly with staff attorneys to assist in asylum and Temporary Protected Status application submissions. Through the GAIN internship program, Anthony developed skills in the areas of legal and country conditions research, multimedia resource development, and client communication, along with many others.

2023 Brandeis Segal Fellow Amelia Trahan interned this summer with The International Institute of New England's (IINE) English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program, which serves clients ages 18+ through student-centered and experiential techniques. As an intern, Amelia supported ESOL classes and served as a coach to help clients gain beginning English skills that will allow them to secure jobs, advance in their careers, enter training programs, or further their education. Amelia developed and implemented lesson plans, conducted workshops, tutored students, and took on other special projects to support ESOL programming and learners at IINE, including providing resources about digital literacy.