Every year, the Frederick E. Berry Institute of Politics (Berry IOP) awards scholarships to students pursuing internships in politics and public service. Internships provide students the opportunity to gain first-hand experiences, develop skills, and explore their career interests. However, internships in these fields are often unpaid or underpaid which makes it challenging for students to pursue them. The Berry IOP awards these scholarships to create entry points and break down barriers for all students interested in pursuing careers in politics and public service.
For the summer of 2022, the Berry IOP awarded the following seven students with a Public Service Internship Scholarship of $3,500.
Orla Casey '23
Major: History and Secondary Education 4+1 Program
Internship: Park Education Intern with the Salem Maritime National Historic Site
Responsibilities: Doing research and creating educational resources for local educators.
“I was able to create an educational workshop, something I have never done before, focused on the history of slavery in Essex county. Being able to work in a role different from the career I am heading towards, but combining both of my disciplines helped me gain so many skills I will take with me in my future classroom.”
Yuxuan Li ‘23
Major: Dual Degree English Major from China 1+2+1 Program
Internship: Public Relations Intern at Salem State University
Responsibilities: Conduct interviews, develop media lists, and write press releases and media advisories for community and civic engagement programs.
“This internship helped me to find a job as a journalist in Nanjing, China and receive a job offer from a large advertising company in Beijing.”
Nora McQuade ‘25
Major: History and Education
Internship: Youth Intern with the Manny Cruz for State Representative campaign
Responsibilities: Canvassed in Salem and organized events, phone banks, standouts, and other opportunities for campaign volunteers.
“I hope to someday work as a campaign manager or a staff member for an elected official. This summer internship helped me learn a lot about how to organize and properly run a campaign. I learned about the different types of volunteering and fundraising events that are necessary to run a successful campaign. I also got to work very closely with the candidate which enabled me to properly understand the message of the campaign.”
Frankie Mulcare ‘24
Major: Geography and Sustainability
Internship: Research Assistant with the Public Accountability Initiative and Salem State Professor Noel Healy
Responsibilities: Conducting research on climate and energy justice.
“This internship helped me in learning how to work with a team, both in taking as well as giving directions, and communicating effectively. I also gain experience with the program Zotero which I can use in my future to organize papers and data for my own research. Finally, I gained connections with LittleSis, which could be helpful in the future if I need to map political/economic connections.”
Jae Roberts ‘23
Major: Psychology and Criminal Justice
Internship: Clerk’s Office Intern with the Salem District Court
Responsibilities: Handled office duties such as pulling and filing of cases, fulfilling copy requests, and organizing cases for each day, as well as observing trials in the courtroom.
“During this internship I got to see forensic psychologists at work in the courtroom for the first time, which was very helpful for me as this is the career I would like to have eventually.”
Ella Speidel ‘24
Major: Geography and Sustainability
Internship: Sustainability Intern with the Office of Sustainability at Salem State
Responsibilities: Data entry, benchmark other university sustainability programs, attend student orientations to promote sustainability on campus, social media management/creation, and support planning for student engagement sustainability efforts for the upcoming academic year.
“This internship allowed me to experience a sustainability office setting for a college campus to see what kind of initiatives can be started, what the job entails, what challenges are involved, and how to get students excited about environmental efforts. I gained connections to many people in the facilities department and insight into how much sustainability is connected to so many buildings, grounds, and people on campus. My excel skills advanced during this internship as well as my professional communication skills, time management, research, and data analysis/input.”
Billy Walsh ‘23
Major: Political Science
Internship: Campaign Intern with the Manny Cruz for State Representative campaign
Responsibilities: Canvassed in Salem and organized events, phone banks, standouts, and other opportunities for campaign volunteers.
“Someday I would like to be a campaign manager, and the internship helped me understand how to run a successful campaign. I learned about fundraising, voter engagement, messaging and communications, and everything that goes into operating a good campaign. The Internship helped me understand the fundamentals of a successful campaign so that I someday may run my own campaign for elected office.” ”
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