Political science majors have held a variety of internships, including with the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Department of Energy, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), local government, political campaigns, and community organizations.
While there is no guarantee of an internship, the department works closely with students to find such opportunities and usually can provide academic credit for the internship. To learn more about internship opportunities, you can also contact The Center for Career and Professional Development.
Political science majors also volunteer for a number of community service projects including work for Habitat for Humanity and programs to help feed the homeless.
United Nations Internship
When Deyla Curtis spent the summer interning at the U.N. in Geneva, she got to see firsthand how that international body worked. It was an exciting capstone to her four years immersed in politics and humanitarian issues with Whittier College's Model U.N. chapter.
Arranged by Professor Mike McBride, students intern at the U.N., attending committee meetings and working on documents that impact people around the world.
Nixon Fellowship
In a highly competitive presidential election year, three students had the opportunity of a lifetime to experience democracy first-hand at the 2016 national political conventions. One of the students, Carly Stevens, even interned with The Daily Show while attending.
Their opportunities were possible through the Nixon Fellowship Program, which is designed to prepare exceptional students for informed citizenship and service through internships, scholarship, and research opportunities that echo Nixon's successful legacy in domestic and foreign policy.
- Patrick Kellycooper '16: Researching President Nixon's approaches to diplomacy in mainland Southeast Asia.
- Clifton Whittaker '16: Evaluating and researching different, common forms of renewable energy and their related energy policy.
- Jessica Nemerovski '16
- Matthew Emrick '15: Researching the potential carcinogenic effects of electronic cigarette vapor compared to cigarette smoke-induced lung cancer.
- William Hougan '14: Evaluating Nixon’s drug policies and their enduring effect.
