On Wednesday, August 5th, the New Jersey State Policy Lab hosted the end-of-summer presentations for the 2026 intern cohort at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. These presentations are the culmination of the work accomplished through the 10-week internship program, guided by teaching assistant Vageesha Sharma, who is a Ph.D. student at the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers-Newark.
At the beginning of the program, each intern selected a particular facet of public policy that most interested them, and throughout the summer learned various research skills that led to the development of their policy presentations and future written work. Lanae Ali presented on barriers in accessing after school programs; Jessica Korins presented research on addressing food waste redistribution policy; Ryan Lawrence discussed home property values and public school funding; Jital Parikh addressed property zoning, land use, and health outcomes in urban areas; Saarah Haqq presented findings on the link between chronic illnesses and homelessness; Brigette Thompson discussed the prevalence of food deserts and strategies to address nutritional needs; and Daniel Fairman presented on participatory budgeting at the local level and shifts in priorities when members of the community engage in the budgeting process. Recordings of all the students’ presentations are available to view online here.
“Together, the interns’ projects reflect the Policy Lab’s commitment to addressing real-world challenges through rigorous research, community engagement, and evidence-informed policymaking,” explained Dr. Elizabeth Cooner, Executive Director of the NJSPL. “Programs like this are never the work on one person. They are successful because of an entire community that believes in investing in students.”
As part of their research process, each intern was partnered with a faculty mentor, which included James DeFillipis, Vandeen Campbell, Marquize Guzman, Jeanne Herb, Emmy Tinerington, Marjorie Kaplan, Michael Hayes, Will Payne, and Garin Bulger. Additionally, many faculty and guest speakers contributed to the course, including Ryan Womack, Robyn Ince, Stuart Shapiro, Megan McCue, Kevin Majewski, Vance Stephens, Elizabeth Cooner, Tong Chen, and Irina Grafova.
This year’s summer internship was supported in part through fundraising efforts from the NJSPL’s 5th Anniversary Celebration dinner, and we would like the following sponsors for their generous donations: BartonPartners, Dilworth Paxson, Johnson & Johnson, Mercer County, New Jersey Policy Perspective, Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union #9, Ramas Contractors, Rutgers Government Relations, and the Vin Gopal Civic Association.
The New Jersey State Policy is grateful for the support of countless faculty and staff in making this program happen each year. We wish our interns the best and are excited to see what their futures hold.