Education and Public Policy

Bianca Nelson found her passion for education and community engagement while serving as an AmeriCorps member at City Year New Hampshire. Her experience at City Year has made her involvement at Penn State more meaningful. At Penn State Berks, she accepted a position with the Penn State Education Partnership Program (PEPP) as a learning assistant. PEPP gave her the opportunity to mentor middle-school students. She also served as a member on the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) and as the Director of Volunteers while simultaneously working on the content team for TEDXPSU. Serving as a member of the content team gave her the opportunity for TEDXPSUBerks before transferring to University Park. Understanding that being a transfer student can be difficult, she dove into engagement opportunities. By joining the College of Education Student Council, she to engage with professors and professionals alike and gained insight on various topics that inspired her both in and out of the classroom. This inspiration led her to apply and be selected as one of the Student Engagement Network Interns at Penn State. Through this internship, she has learned how to “Find her Why” and help other students do the same.

Grace Harnett is studying for her BS in Education & Public Policy, with minors in Sociology and Recreation, Park & Tourism Management. Through the Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate(IUG) program, she is simultaneously working toward her MA in Educational Theory & Policy. She is the Executive Director of the nonpartisan department Civic Engagement in UPUA, which she hopes will sustainably promote student engagement in civic work. In conjunction with PSU Votes, she helps students register to vote and understand mail-in ballots. She is also a Greeks Care facilitator and educates members of Greek Life on sexual assault and harassment to create change in the Penn State Greek Life community. As an Outdoor Educator for fourth-graders at Penn State’s Outdoor School in 2018 and 2019, she created lesson plans and curriculum for a four-day sleepaway camp. This experience opened her eyes to different forms of education and helped her realize her passion for educational policy. During the summer of 2020, she assisted Professor Erica Frankenberg with research on civil rights during the Trump Administration. By analyzing texts and organizing information into memos, she gained insight into the work that goes into policy research.

Christopher Carver took advantage of many opportunities during his time at Penn State. His junior year, he was selected by The McCourtney Institute of Democracy as a Nevins Fellow. The fellowship provided him with a funded internship through The Convergence Policy Resolution Center in Washington, DC, which matched Christopher’s interests in social justice and bipartisanship. To be considered for an internship, he enrolled in PLSC 209: Democratic Leadership, a five-week, one-credit intensive course offered in the fall.  He also participated in a study abroad program to Chile, where he worked for a non-profit devoted to ending hunger. This was an opportunity that appealed to his desire to learn the history and geography of Chile, as well as contribute to the community.  After graduation, he is currently studying for the LSAT and plans to purse Law School in the upcoming year. 

Emma Rohan simultaneously earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Educational Theory & Policy. She also became a Facilitation Trainer with World in Conversation at Penn State, where she facilitated hundreds of dialogues on relevant and contentious social issues in domestic, international, and global initiatives.  As a Nevins Fellow through the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, she worked with the Jefferson Center in Minneapolis, MN to lead Citizens Jury events. This was an opportunity that came to her through the course PLSC 209: Democratic Leadership. Additionally, she has studied abroad in Rabat, Morocco, interned at UNESCO in Paris, and was an outdoor adventure guide throughout college. She wrote her undergraduate thesis about charter school policies in the United States and her master’s thesis on the impact of charter schools on Pennsylvania labor markets.  She is currently a Teaching Fellow in the Bronx, NY where she is working toward her teaching certification while gaining experience in the classroom.