Avery Holzworth, a Master of Public Policy student at the University of Connecticut’s School of Public Policy (SPP), Class of 2027, secured a Summer Associate role with the Connecticut Green Bank by leveraging both her coursework and connections developed through SPP. She graduated from Stonehill College in 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Political Science and a minor in Economics.

Holzworth’s path to the Green Bank was shaped by relationships built through her academic and professional experiences. Through an internship with Sustainable Connecticut, she attended an event hosted by the Connecticut Green Bank, where she and her colleagues were introduced to the organization’s work. She later connected with Green Bank representatives at a career event and stayed engaged by signing up for job alerts, which led directly to her Summer Associate opportunity.

In her current position on the Innovation team, Holzworth focuses on renter-focused energy solutions across Connecticut. During her first month, she attended the Yale Innovation Summit, participated in a Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council (CEEJAC) meeting, and visited a redevelopment project on the site of a former factory, gaining exposure to climate, health, and community development work across the state.

“My coworkers and I got a tour of all these different sites in Waterbury and cool environmental justice projects that CEEJAC is working on.”

A central component of her role has been analyzing Connecticut’s renter population using data from the U.S. Census and Partnership for Strong Communities. She developed a presentation examining housing types, income levels, geographic distribution, and energy use to help inform policy and financing strategies.

“Renters are a very large category of people across our state,” Holzworth explained. “One in every three households are renters, so there are a lot of different groups within that population.”

Holzworth credits her SPP coursework, particularly PP 5363 Local Government Management and Leadership, with strengthening her understanding of Connecticut’s policy landscape and preparing her to apply that knowledge in a professional setting. “This experience has helped me connect what I’ve learned in class to the work happening across the state,” she said.

Following her summer internship, Holzworth will continue her policy work with Partnership for Strong Communities through SPP’s Internship for Professional Practice (IPP) program. Her experience reflects how SPP’s combination of applied coursework and access to professional networks can directly support students in securing and succeeding in policy roles.

For students interested in similar opportunities, Holzworth emphasizes the importance of intentional networking. “Reach out to people and set up one-on-one conversations,” she advised. “Go into those conversations prepared with questions, but also be okay with not knowing everything.”