In the final installment of our summer field experience series, JMC students show how public affairs work happens close to the communities policies are meant to serve. Through internships in housing advocacy, constituent services, natural resources policy, campaigns, food systems and neighborhood-based support, Madisonians are seeing how research, communication and community engagement can help address everyday challenges.
This story is the fifth and final installment of our summer internship series. Read the first, second, third and fourth stories in this series.
Andrea Guitron-Ortiz
Internship with Abundant Housing Michigan in Flint, MI (part of the Flint Summer Study Away Internship Program)
Major: International Relations, Social Relations & Policy
Minor: Chicano/Latino Studies
Expected Graduation Year: 2026
What were some of your regular responsibilities during your internship? I conducted policy research and analysis to support housing advocacy efforts across the state. My regular responsibilities include analyzing data, managing and organizing information using Microsoft Excel, conducting community outreach and engaging with local stakeholders.
What kind of public affairs issues or problems did your internship focus on? My internship focused on housing policy, zoning reform and addressing Michigan’s housing shortage.
Which JMC skills showed up most clearly in your internship? Writing, communication and the ability to engage with people from diverse backgrounds.
What JMC course, assignment, professor or discussion helped prepare you? Two courses that helped me were MC 280: Social Theory & Social Relations and MC 281: Immigrants, Minorities & American Pluralism with Prof. Allison Berg and Prof. Jennifer Sykes. Although the class was mainly focused on welfare policy and narrative, we spent some time talking about the Flint community and examining how public policies shape people’s lives. These classes helped me better understand the broader issues connected to housing and community development.
More broadly, my SRP major has taught me to think critically about how policies affect different communities and how important narratives and lived experiences are in shaping public opinion and policy outcomes.
Madison MacDonald
Internship with Allen Neighborhood Center in Lansing, MI
Major: Politics, Rights & Culture, Women’s & Gender Studies
Minor: Spanish and European Studies
Expected Graduation Year: 2027
What were some of your regular responsibilities during your internship? I work with our neighbors to enroll them in healthcare programs such as Medicaid and Ingham County Health Plan, access Food Assistance Programs and connect them to any community resources they may need.
What kind of public affairs issues or problems did your internship focus on? I consistently work with cases of healthcare inequity and the ways in which complex government policies and systems impact people’s access to basic needs. We also work with anyone facing food or housing inaccessibility, transportation access and any general needs brought to us. Many of these cases are directly impacted by changes in policy at both local and federal levels.
What JMC course, assignment, professor or discussion helped prepare you? My MC 230 course with Prof. Amanda Flaim is one course that showed me how important it is to take the time to understand a problem from many perspectives. Through several of our course readings and discussions, we were able to see how the primary narrative isn’t always the full story, and that taking the time to learn both perspectives can truly make a difference in someone's life.
How did the experience shape how you’re thinking about your future career path? It’s made me realize how passionate I am for public policy, and how important it is to know the community you are representing.
Nora Kaltenbach
Internship with Flatwater Farms LLC in Buchanan, MI
Major: Social Relations & Policy
Expected Graduation Year: 2026
What were some of your regular responsibilities during your internship? My main responsibility is being in charge of taking the produce into Chicago and running our booth at the farmers market there. I also helped research grants and licensing for market stands over the winter. My regular responsibilities also include manual labor and field work that goes along with organic farming, such as weeding, harvesting and processing vegetables.
What kind of public affairs issues or problems did your internship focus on? Working on the farm I have learned a lot more about the agricultural issues behind food access and insecurity. I also have learned a lot about environmental impacts of agriculture and the challenges facing farmers who try to grow produce in more sustainable ways.
What JMC course, assignment, professor or discussion helped prepare you? JMC Field Experience Coordinator Lauren Michalak and Emelia Hammond, a JMC academic advisor, have helped me realize the ways in which I can use a degree in Social Relations & Policy in the agricultural world. I also feel that many of the things I learned in Prof. Jennifer Sykes' class on social policy have been useful to me in seeing the ways that the farm I work on could and should support the people in Buchanan more.
How did the experience shape how you're thinking about your future career path? Working on the farm and being exposed to fields that intersect with agriculture have allowed me to see ways that I can use the knowledge I have gained at MSU and JMC in ways that are outside of an office. I have met so many people with jobs I never would have thought existed and there is a lot of interest in finding more sustainable ways to feed people. People always need to eat and there are so many ways food systems can be improved upon. Having knowledge from the agricultural side and the policy side of food systems I think can help me in many careers.
Sammy Leggett
Internship with the Rashida Harrison Campaign for State Senate in East Lansing, MI, with trips to other cities in District 28
Major: Political Theory & Constitutional Democracy, Social Relations & Policy
Expected Graduation Year: 2027
What were some of your regular responsibilities during your internship? While I served in various roles, my primary role is the Volunteer Outreach & Canvassing Lead. I reach out and stay connected with volunteers, make graphics, knock on doors and schedule canvass events.
What kind of public affairs issues or problems did your internship focus on? Housing, health care, social justice and economic issues.
JMC course, assignment, professor or discussion that helped prepare you? I would say my entire SRP sequence so far, learning about all the different social movements and what people did when their voices weren’t being heard. It emphasizes the importance of making sure everyone feels safe, loved and welcomed.
How did the experience shape how you're thinking about your future career path? My experience so far has pushed me to fight for change more. There are so many people in this world whose voices are currently being taken away. This experience has motivated me to fight for those people and make sure that their voice is not only being heard but also appreciated and not judged. I’m excited to start full time after graduation and hopefully run for local office.
Erin Delaney
Internship with Chairwoman Lisa McClain’s District Office in Lake Orion, Michigan
Major: Social Relations & Policy, Journalism
Minor: Public Relations
Expected Graduation Year: 2028
What were some of your regular responsibilities during your internship? I handled phone inquiries, designed promotional materials for official office events and assisted in event planning and coordination.
Which JMC skills showed up most clearly in your internship? I entered my internship right after I finished my first year at MSU, so I have only taken three JMC courses thus far; however, these three courses (MC 201, 202 and 111) have greatly aided in my professional abilities. The quick thinking skills learned through 201 and 202 discussion sessions have allowed me to easily adapt to a fast-paced work environment.
JMC course, assignment, professor or discussion that helped prepare you?: MC 202 substantially refined my critical thinking skills and pushed me to approach problems from new perspectives. These skills gave me a great foundation for the remainder of my time with JMC and are extremely valuable in the professional environment.
How did the experience shape how you're thinking about your future career path? It has reassured me that working in the field of public service is truly what I want to do. Every day I walk into the office feeling extremely grateful for the opportunity to enter a field whose workers truly care about their constituents while continuing to make a difference in our society.
Elida Hughes-Margolis
Internship with Forest Service International Foundation in Washington, DC
Major: International Relations, Social Relations & Policy
Expected Graduation Year: 2027
What kind of public affairs issues or problems did your internship focus on? This natural resources policy internship focused on combating illegal logging, promoting American wood products, preventing and managing invasive species, conserving migratory species, global engagement and advancing disaster mitigation and response. Our primary goal is to promote the U.S. Forest Service’s Office of International Trade and Programs.
Which JMC skills showed up most clearly in your internship? Writing skills, policy/government knowledge, professionalism, working well with others, the ability to learn things quickly, critical thinking and many more.
What JMC course, assignment, professor or discussion helped prepare you? Both of the required International Relations classes, MC 220 with Prof. Myunghee Lee and MC 221 with Prof. Norm Graham definitely prepared me by teaching core concepts on how governments and states interact, which is key for my internship. Specifically, the sustainability tie-ins within MC 221 gave me a natural resources background that I needed for this internship.
How did the experience shape how you're thinking about your future career path? This experience has deeply shaped how I am thinking about my career path. Shadowing on the Hill has made me want to possibly pursue working for a congressperson post-graduation. Generally, seeing the passion that these civil servants have and the concrete impacts they are making to help people worldwide has been extremely inspirational, so working in civil service in DC is also very appealing.