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 ’24 (CLAS), ’26 MPP and Rebecca Dorsey ’25 (CLAS), ’26 MPA spent 10 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), ’26 MPP
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 Center for Access and Postsecondary Success (CAPS) office for student support services, and the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills.
“I’m a TRIO alum myself,” Valle 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, Valle continues her work as a graduate assistant in CAPS and is teaching a First Year Experience (FYE) course this semester.
“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,” she says.
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), ’26 MPA
For Dorsey, a 2025 graduate with a degree in English and political science, this summer was all about election policy. The Terryville resident — and former high school valedictorian — followed her interests 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,” Dorsey 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 of the State’s office.
“I learned how elections are administered,” she says. “That experience gave me the knowledge and background that Issue One really valued.”
Dorsey 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. Dorsey 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,” Dorsey adds. “They don’t care who wins. They just want to ensure the election is administered fairly.”
Dorsey’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 encouraged students to register to vote.
“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 in the School of Public Policy, Dorsey will complete her Internship and Professional Practice (IPP) with the Connecticut Land Conservation Council.
“I’m excited to do more state-level advocacy and policy work,” she says. “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.”
Interested in exploring your own career in public service? Explore the School of Public Policy’s IPP internship program and other experiential learning opportunities.
Learn more about how the School assists the Connecticut Secretary of the State’s office with the Registrars of Voters training program that provides initial certification for CT-based Registrars of Voters, established by state statute.
