Whether they are in big cities or small towns, Nevins Fellows have the opportunity to directly impact the communities in which they work. The experience plants the seed for a future working in advocacy groups and allows fellows to have experiences outside their comfort zones.

Nevins Fellow Victoria Phelps interned at the Participatory Budgeting Project in Brooklyn, New York. While there, she created tools that the organization uses to bring the participatory budgeting process to cities around the country.

“I wanted the opportunity to meet people who lead different lives from me and whose experiences informed their opinions,” Victoria says. “I made the assumption that no one really cares about democracy, but to see people who work long hours at minimum wage jobs take the time to come in and have conversations about these things at night was so inspiring.”

Nevins Fellow Christopher Carver, a senior majoring in education and public policy, completed his internship at the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution and said the experience changed the way he thinks about political polarization and the need for bipartisan solutions.

“There are a lot of problems this country faces that people on both sides of our political spectrum agree on, but do not realize,” Carver said. “I believe engaging with individuals a person does not think they will agree with allows for that clarity to reveal itself. Through the process of taking steps towards consensus on issues, compassion and trust are also built.”