This summer, two students from UConn’s Master of Public Policy (MPP) and Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs traded classroom work for the nation’s capital, immersing themselves in federal policy work.

Samantha Valle and Rebecca Dorsey each spent ten weeks in Washington, D.C., where they tackled issues ranging from higher education access to election integrity. Their experiences gave them a front-row seat to how policy is debated, shaped, and implemented, and helped them sharpen their own visions for future careers in public service. 

Samantha Valle ’24 (CLAS), MPP ’26.

Samantha Valle, a May 2024 graduate with a degree in political science and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, is now in the second year of her MPP program. The Waterbury native held several on-campus roles during her undergraduate years, including internships at the Dean of Students Office, the CAPS office for student support services, and the Center for Career Development. 

“I’m a TRIO alum myself,” Samantha says. “I knew I wanted a student-facing role and to pursue something in the realm of law and policy.” 

Though she hadn’t envisioned herself working in Washington, Samantha joined the Postsecondary National Policy Institute (PNPI) Summer Scholars program, where she spent 10 weeks exploring higher education policy. The program combined an internship with cohort learning and networking opportunities, including congressional briefings and federal agency meetings. She lived in George Washington University dorms while attending seminars, professional development workshops, and site visits. 

Her internship work focused on postsecondary education issues such as affordability, access, and support for underserved students.

“I had a personal interest in learning more about predatory student loans after the Reconciliation Bill was passed,” she explains. “As a Pell Grant recipient myself, I wanted to learn how this bill would affect financial aid.” 

The setting added its own excitement. “Just being in the presence of all the monuments was a big thing for me,” she recalls. “I was a 10-minute walk from the Lincoln Memorial. When I first arrived, I’d see people coming out of the Senate and House buildings and it was intimidating. Now I can say I technically worked and lived here, and I can comfortably engage in conversations with colleagues in the policy space.” 

Back at UConn, Samantha continues her work as a graduate assistant in CAPS and is teaching a First Year Experience (FYE) course this semester.

Reflecting on her summer, she says: “Growing up low-income and as a first-generation college student, I never imagined I’d have the opportunity to be in Washington, D.C., learning firsthand about federal higher education policy.” Despite her initial hesitation, she’s eager to return to D.C. after graduation: “It’s definitely where it’s happening!” 

Rebecca Dorsey ’25 (CLAS), MPA ’26

For Rebecca Dorsey, a 2025 graduate with a degree in English and political science, the summer was all about elections policy. The Terryville resident – and former high school valedictorian – followed her interest in election policy and spent the summer in Washington, D.C., as an election protection intern for Issue One, a cross-partisan political reform organization. 

“Issue One advocates for free, fair, and secure elections that are fully funded by the federal government,” Rebecca explains.

Her interest in elections policy was sparked by a UConn state and local government class taught by Storrs Mayor Toni Moran and former Secretary of State Denise Merrill. Merrill later became a mentor and helped Rebecca secure a prior internship at the Connecticut Secretary the State’s office. 

“I learned how elections are administered,” Rebecca says. “That experience gave me the knowledge and background that Issue One really valued.” 

Rebecca found the internship through Handshake. With D.C. housing costs out of reach even with her stipend, she arranged to live in Maryland with the family of a UConn friend. She worked remotely two days a week and commuted the other two, taking the Metro 45 minutes and then walking to Issue One’s offices.

“On my walk to work I pass a road where you can see both the Washington Monument and the White House,” she says. In her free time, she toured the Capitol and attended two election-related hearings on the Hill. 

At her internship, Rebecca conducted research, joined legislative and policy team meetings, and contributed to Issue One’s Faces of Democracy campaign, which highlights  state and local election officials. She helped develop interview questions and spoke with election officials from Hawaii, Virginia, and New York. 

“We focus on how elections are administered in different states, what challenges officials face, and how we can advocate for them—things like better funding or cybersecurity infrastructure,” she explains. The campaign aims to combat online disinformation and humanize election officials to help stop threats of violence against them. 

“They’re your neighbors,” Rebecca adds. “They don’t care who wins. They just want to ensure the election is administered fairly.” 

Rebecca’s passion for elections dates back to high school when she served as a poll worker. At UConn she tabled at events to promote early voting and encourage UConn students to register to vote if they weren’t already registered.

“Elections are fundamental to our democracy,” she says. “If you want to fix issues in this country, you have to start with how we choose our leaders. Civic engagement is essential so we can elect people who will do their best to keep us safe.” 

Her time in D.C. was a dream come true, yet it also reshaped her career goals. “My professors and mentors always told me you can make the greatest impact at the state level,” she reflects. “In D.C., everything is incremental. Partisan bickering makes it hard to get anything passed. You don’t see the effects of your work or meet constituents. I realized through this internship that I really enjoy the state level of government.” 

In her final year of the 4+1 program at the School of Public Policy, Rebecca will complete her IPP with the Connecticut Land Conservation Council. “I’m excited to do more state-level advocacy and policy work. I’m also passionate about protecting the environment because climate change is scary.” 

Still, elections remain close to her heart. She will, of course, be at the polls on Election Day. 

“It’s important to vote in every election,” she says. 

____________________________________________________________

Interested in exploring your own career in public service? Learn more about the School’s IPP internship program and other experiential learning opportunities here: https://publicpolicy.uconn.edu/internships/

Learn more about how UConn SPP assists the CT Secretary of the State’s office run the Registrars of Voters training program that provides initial certification for CT-based Registrars of Voters, established by CT state statute: https://publicpolicy.uconn.edu/rov/