Public Policy Internships

December 2023

As the Fall 2023 semester concluded, three students (Emma Evans, Olivia Firlejczyk, and Jessica Pimentel) reflected on their experiences in LIP and how the internship program positively impacted them as they prepare for the professional world.

February 2023

Our LIP students took a trip to Tallahassee for the 2023 USF Day at the Capitol event to learn more about the legislative process. They also met with legislators (i.e., Rep. Linda Chaney, Rep. Susan Valdes, and Rep. Fentrice Driskell), alumni, and other students to raise awareness about USF and its priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

November 2022

For two decades, Evelyn Pérez-Verdía has dedicated her life to bridging information gaps between diasporic communities and government in the U.S. As a student at USF, she majored in international studies, with dreams of becoming a national ambassador and diplomat. She was introduced to our Legislative Internship Program (LIP) by her advisor and mentor, the late Joan Newcomb. She relied on scholarships, loans, and federal aid to pursue her academic goals, and LIP offered unique opportunities to get involved in the political process and connect with local leaders and citizens alike.

Today, Evelyn is Founder/CEO of We Are Más, an organization aimed at creating social impact campaigns and combating disinformation in foreign language-speaking communities around the country. Through a generous gift to LIP, her goal is to promote life-changing opportunities for students who come from a low-income household. Her gift is a testament to the difference our public policy internship programs can make in a student's life and the philanthropy that it inspires.

October 2022

As part of the seminar series, our LIP interns spent time in Tallahassee and toured the Florida Senate and House of Representatives.

August 2022

Congratulations to former LIP student Keerthana Kallarackal, a recent USF graduate (class of 2022), who is a 2022-23 recipient of the Florida Gubernatorial Fellows Program! She is one of only 11 Fellows to be chosen statewide this year and the only USF-affiliated participant in the current class (XVIII).

The Florida Gubernatorial Fellows Program is a non-partisan program that immerses students from public and private universities in key areas of state government. During their nine-month tenure in Tallahassee, Fellows receive advanced on-the-job training as well as an invaluable front-line view of the inner workings of government. Keerthana has been placed in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) within the Office of the Chief of Staff—the agency's first FL Gubernatorial Fellow—where she works on projects from strategic planning to media communication to budgeting and legislation.

October 2021

LIP student Amy Pham, an undergraduate in biomedical sciences, was selected by USF President Rhea Law to serve on a 13-member advisory committee to assess the development of the USF Forest Preserve.

As part of the seminar series, our LIP interns spent time with the Secretary of State Laurel Lee and toured the Senate in Tallahassee.