IOP announces 18 internship winners

The Kennedy School of Government’s Institute of Politics (IOP) recently announced the selection of 18 undergraduate students, chosen from a pool of 185 candidates, for prestigious paid summer political internships. These students will meet and learn from leading academics, policy-makers, and politicians at high-profile organizations, furthering their understanding of and interest in politics and public affairs. In addition, the IOP is providing financial assistance to nearly 100 current Harvard undergraduates for help in securing public service summer jobs, as well as to rising seniors conducting summer thesis research.

The Director’s Internship Program, under the leadership of IOP Interim Director Phil Sharp, selects and funds summer interns through a competitive application review and interview process. The IOP will provide the students with a stipend ($3,000 for those working in Washington, D.C.; Albany, N.Y.; Boston; and Sacramento, Calif., or $3,500 for those working in New York City, Mexico, and London) to help cover living expenses during the eight- to 10-week internships.

“Our internship programs offer a close-up look at exciting opportunities in politics, public affairs, and government,” said Sharp. “Supporting rewarding and challenging internships is a key way the institute is working to encourage more students to pursue careers in public service,” he added.

The selected students and participating organizations

Kimberly Kicenuik ’06, ABC News Political Unit; Kenneth Schultz ’07, CNN’s Inside Politics; Celia Maccoby ’07, Office of the Lord Mayor of London; Joshua Gottlieb ’07, Office of Ministry of Health, Mexico City (co-sponsored with Harvard Initiative on Global Health); Denise Lambert ’07, Office of Ministry of Health, Mexico City (co-sponsored with Harvard Initiative on Global Health); Aviva Gilbert ’07, MTV’s Office of Strategic Partnerships; Tara Fisher ’06, Office of Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Judicial Nominating Office; John Hastrup ’06, Office of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger; Katharine Valente ’06, Office of City of Boston, Massachusetts Mayor Thomas Menino, press and communications; Matthew Anderson ’07, Office of New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, press office; George Davis ’06, Office of U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.); Om Lala ’06, Office of U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; Monica Rana ’06, the Albright Group; Daren Stanaway ’07, The Heritage Foundation; Joshua Patashnik ’07, The Hill Newspaper; Brian Tucci ’06, the President’s Council of Economic Advisors; Sameera Haque ’06, The White House Project; and Daniel Shoag ’06, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Additionally, more than $5,000 in IOP funding will be distributed among six rising seniors conducting thesis research in politics or government. The recipients are Mae Bunagan ’06 (“Immigrant Women Civic Participation”); Joe Green ’06 (“The Breakdown of Class Voting Blocks”); Lauren Kuley ’06 (“Civic Engagement of Arab Americans”); Whitney Satin ’06 (“Polluting the Vote: How Environmental Policy and Pollution Affects Voting Behavior in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley”); Elise Stefanik ’06 (“Post-Soviet Civil Unrest: U.S. Foreign Policy in the 1990s); and Nina Vasan ’06 (“The Impact of Advocacy on Health Related Policy at the Federal Level”).

The IOP also awards summer stipends, which enable undergraduates returning to Harvard in the fall to accept summer jobs in local, state, or federal government with public interest groups, nongovernmental organizations, and political organizations that operate within the United States. For more information about IOP funding opportunities, visit http://www.iop.harvard.edu.