Fifteen Baruch College Students Selected for New York State Legislature Internship Program

All undergraduates are part of the Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs program within the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs

February 14, 2018

A total of 15 undergraduate Baruch College students, all from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, were accepted into the highly competitive New York State Legislature Internship Program. The Baruch undergraduates, who are in the Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs program, accounted for 48 percent of all CUNY students selected to work full-time in Albany during the Spring 2018 semester with State Assembly and Senate members learning about the law-making process and constituent services.

“One of the core goals of the BSPA program is to ensure that students are aware of and fully engaged in valuable internship opportunities within the public and nonprofit sector,” said Melissa Sultana, deputy director of academic programs for the Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College. “The Albany Internship is an invaluable experience that provides first-hand knowledge of the policy process and direct engagement with New York State government.”

The NYS Legislature Internship Program offers college students a chance to participate in state government and the legislative process through a well-structured practical learning experience. The interns get to contribute to a policy forum and are included in a mock legislative session. Each BSPA student will earn 15 elective credits for participating in this Internship Program.  The students are guided by Michael Feller, distinguished lecturer, who coordinates internships at Marxe.

New York State Assembly Internships

The New York State Assembly offers a maximum of 150 college students each semester an opportunity to become interns within the state government. The Assembly Intern Committee awards a $5,850 stipend to each Session Intern participating in the Jan. 8, 2018 to May 16, 2018 Internship Program. Additionally, each student received $2,000 from CUNY.

Assembly Session Internships provide real government experience in a comprehensive academic Program, which gives participants an advantage in today’s job market. Daily assignments in the offices of Assembly members include short-term research projects, statistical analysis, and administrative responsibilities such as responding to constituent mail. Interns also help prepare bill memos and keep track of these as they move through the legislative process.

There were 10 Baruch College students selected as Spring 2018 Session Interns in the State Assembly. The names of each student is below, along with each Representative’s district.

Hermanoschy Bernard (Catherine Nolan, D, Queens 37)

Donny Hernandez (Felix Ortiz, D, Brooklyn 51)

Andrew Kunkes (Ed Braunstein, D, Queens 26)

Michael Matteo (Stacey Pheffer-Amato, D, Queens 23)

Mamta Melwani (Aravella Simotas, D, Queens 36)

Andrew Papanicolau (Robert Carroll, D, Brooklyn 44)

Edwin Jon Rodriguez (Melissa Miller, R, Nassau 20)

Brandon Santiago (Angelo Morinello, R, Niagara & Erie 145)

Ayesha Schmitt (William Colton, D, Brooklyn 47)

Claudia Zhu (Yuh-Line Niou, D, Manhattan 65)

New York State Senate Undergraduate Session Assistants Program

The Senate Undergraduate Session Assistants Program selects approximately 30 students to serve as interns each semester. The Program runs about four months, beginning in early January and ending in late April. Applicants in all accredited majors are accepted into the program. Each intern is awarded a $5,850 stipend to offset the costs of moving to and living in Albany. CUNY also provided each student $2,000 for participating in the program.

Specific work assignments vary for every intern, but may include: short-term research; responding to constituent correspondence and requests; tracking legislation; preparing bill memos; attending and reporting on committee meetings and public hearings; and attending meetings with lobbyists and other interest groups.

The five Baruch College interns selected for the Spring 2018 Senate Undergraduate Session Assistants Program can be seen below, along with the State Representative and the district they serve:

Lila Je (Simcha Felder, D, Brooklyn 12)

Danielle Segall (Brad Hoylman, D, Manhattan 27)

Erika Smithson (Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D, Westchester 35)

Katherine Vaskevich (Jamaal Bailey, D, Bronx/Mt. Vernon 36)

Freda Zurita (Marisol Alcantara, D, Manhattan 31)

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