Meet COSSA’s Policy Intern: Eva Lettiere

Eva Lettiere started as COSSA’s policy intern in May. Before she signs off, she provided some reflections from her time at COSSA.

How did you learn about COSSA and the opportunity to serve as a policy intern? 

I learned about COSSA through the director of career services at the University of Chicago, who sent me some summer internship opportunities she thought I might be interested in. Out of all of them, COSSA was the only one that truly captured my interest. I loved that the application process gave me the chance to talk about my experiences with social science research and my policy areas of interest, because those are both things that influenced how I approached the internship and its responsibilities in the first place. 

How did the internship fit into your academic or career planning? 

I feel fortunate that, thus far, I’ve had a diverse range of internship and work opportunities—I’ve been in legislative and constituent-oriented settings in congressional offices, both Washington- and district-based, and I’ve also done specific qualitative and quantitative social science research. Before joining COSSA, I had experience at both ends of the policy research-to-legislation spectrum, but I didn’t have very much experience with the part in the middle, whereby policy research is effectively translated into public policy. Dedicated advocacy is, to me, the key to bridging that gap. Through interning with COSSA, I have experience at all stages of the policymaking process, which begins far beyond the walls of Capitol Hill. I feel that COSSA helped me understand the nuances of policy advocacy that are instrumental to generating concrete, positive policy outcomes. I feel that, because I had this experience working with COSSA, I can become a far more effective policy analyst in the future while still maintaining my dedication to public service.

What stood out to you most about your internship (i.e., did you learn anything interesting/eye opening or was there a task that you enjoyed most)? 

Before working with COSSA, I knew federal statistical agencies were integral to the production of accurate social science research, but now I’ve come to understand their intricacies and importance. I feel as though statistical agencies are an oft-overlooked aspect of the government, and I know of many people outside the political science sphere or even in different parts of the political science sphere, who don’t really know anything about the crucial work they do and don’t know what massive losses in funding and staff they’re facing. I feel like I can now effectively articulate the importance of statistical agencies to life in the US and why cuts to these agencies are so disastrous.  

Additionally, and this is a little less important, I’ve honestly really enjoyed my time scanning COSSA’s historical documents. It’s interesting to track the history of one non-profit and see both how social science priorities have changed over the years and how non-profit interactions with the federal government and the policymaking enterprise in general have changed.  

What would you tell future policy interns about the opportunity and/or about interning in-person in Washington, DC? 

It’s fun to go to events you’re invited to! There’s so much happening in DC all the time—people love hosting briefings on Capitol Hill—and going to them is a great way to explore policy areas you might be interested in, but also get a sense of the structure of policy advocacy in DC and the different ways in which people incorporate policy analysis and research into their advocacy. I tend to treat events—briefings, receptions, hearings–less as events where I can network and more as events where I can gain knowledge I wouldn’t otherwise seek out myself. I have genuinely learned a lot about various policy sectors—immigration, agriculture and nutrition, and healthcare, among others—that I didn’t know before and that showed me I was interested in policy sectors different than what I initially assumed. To me, the primary goal of an internship should be to learn, both in terms of content and skills, and there are a lot of events in DC that are the perfect venue for that.  

What’s next for you? 

In August, I’ll begin my final undergraduate semester at George Washington University (GW), located in Washington, DC, before graduating with my bachelor’s degree in December. After that, in January, I’ll immediately go back to GW and become a full-time student in the Master of Public Policy Program. Working at COSSA has opened a whole new career realm for me, so I hope I can explore it more and put many of the skills I gained at COSSA to use. I’m also excited for the opportunity to do more policy research and analysis at the graduate level.