The Food Trust
On my first day, upon walking into The Food Trust’s office, I knew that this was exactly where I wanted to be. There were so many kind, dedicated, and passionate people; there was an energy filling the space that excited me. I couldn’t help but feel inspired. My time was split between two amazing teams – the Camden Nutrition Program and Night Market Philadelphia. Prior to the completion of my internship experience, I was offered a seasonal job with the Night Market team to assist with their 2016 season, which featured a lineup of four Night Markets and a handful of consultation projects including one to kick off the DNC. There were so many moments where I witnessed, firsthand, the great work that The Food Trust does in and out of the City of Philadelphia and how highly regarded an organization they are.
Deanna Santo
Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey
With the help of Dr. Serico, I interviewed for and accepted a paid internship with the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey. This internship connected me with Homes For All, a nonprofit housing developer in Toms River NJ. I spent the summer learning the value of community development, management skills and proper construction practices. This internship has led to full time employment and allowed us to purchase our first home and give our daughter (and dog) a backyard to play in. Without the Rutgers MPA program, none of this would have been possible.
Chase Bryson
Camden Board of Education Administrative Office
As a Rutgers Camden MPA graduate and current public-sector employee, I benefited greatly from my internship experience. The program guided me to the right position at the Camden Board of Education Administrative Offices. The internship developed my skills and provided hands on experiences relevant to my career while reinforcing the core concepts that were learned in the classroom. Now working as a contract specialist, my internship placement gave me the knowledge of basic purchase requests, policies, and procurement steps that I utilize often in my career.
Ralph Dayougar
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)
David Southgate, MPA 2019, led an interagency air quality project during his 2018 Rutgers University internship with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protections’ Air Quality Monitoring and Mobile Sources Program of the Bureau of Air Monitoring. His work furthered NJDEP’s public policy objective to implement citizen science air monitoring using low cost sensors.
“The management opportunity had me representing NJDEP with Camden community development experts, as well as environmental justice advocates and educators across multiple agencies. I established the collaboration, planned data quality, trained citizen scientists, and oversaw the project from inception to completion.”
Students from the Leap Academy University Charter School in Camden, New Jersey collected 14 hours of data on black carbon near I-676, testing the effectiveness of highway sound barriers in limiting black carbon intrusion into surrounding neighborhoods. National air quality standards regulate fine particles from vehicle emissions and stationary sources. Southgate’s work product will become part of NJDEP’s citizen scientist toolkit and may influence new science curriculum.
David Southgate
United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
My internship experience was at the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). During my time there, I was able to work side by side with Special Agents and Intelligence Analysts where we researched trends that affected our nation’s gun policy. I witnessed federal court proceedings and saw first-hand how our nation’s policies affect our most vulnerable citizens. This experience helped me to grow exponentially on a personal and professional level. I was able to critically analyze the ethical implications of our public policies as well as consider the social conditions that often times led offenders to commit crimes.
Alicia Ash
Camden Charter School
Rutgers University helped provide me the internship experience I needed to improve my career and achieve a promotion to a leadership position. Working side by side with my building principal, I was thoroughly prepared for an administrative position. My confidence grew from the professional support and guidance I received from my field supervisor. This internship demonstrated to my school supervisors that I had the confidence and experience needed to move forward with my career.
Natalie Ciervo