41 Students to Spend Summer Interning with Leading Social Impact Organizations

This summer, 41 University of Maryland students are participating in hands-on internships with impressive social impact organizations as part of the Do Good Institute’s Impact Interns program, in our biggest cohort yet! This professional development and leadership pipeline links passionate and driven students to project- and social impact-based summer internship opportunities with alumni organizations and partners of the Institute. The program provides emerging social sector leaders with meaningful opportunities to gain professional experience, develop skills, build a professional network and learn more about working in the nonprofit and social impact sphere.

From combating hunger to promoting public health, graduate and undergraduate Impact Interns are prepared to contribute to the innovative work of the 42 partner organizations. Read more about each intern and what they are working on below.

Lili Bao, Nonprofit Village

Lili is a rising sophomore studying neurobiology and physiology. She is member of the Gemstone Honors College and is currently a part of Team FUNGI, which is studying the impacts of fungal polysaccharides on cancer cell inhibition. 

This summer, Lili is excited to work as a program management intern for Nonprofit Village, which broadens the capacity and increases the sustainability of nonprofits through education, collaboration and operational support within a shared workspace. 

Kelly Biglin, I Will Survive, Inc.

Kelly is a rising junior studying public health science with a minor in Spanish. She is an ambassador for Public Health Science and an undergraduate teaching assistant for Epidemiology and the Health Policy Federal program. Previously, Kelly has interned with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General and Public Health Beyond Borders Inc. She is excited to continue to expand her public health experience through work with a nonprofit that prioritizes preventative programming.

This summer, Kelly will be interning with I Will Survive, Inc., a nonprofit that provides economic support, prevention education, and health and wellness services to those at higher risk and affected by breast cancer. 

Jose Ceballos, EducArte

Jose is a junior majoring in marketing at the University of Maryland. Since he was young, he has always been passionate about the arts and sees it being a big part of him for the rest of his life. He uses the analytical skills he has picked up in his marketing classes to understand how to connect with his target audience. Jose is the  founder of the band, Fontana, and is using his marketing degree to plan releases and events for the band. 

This summer, he will be working as a marketing and graphic design intern for EducArte, which focuses on community building and cross-cultural communication to foster a vibrant and diverse cultural arts community that encourages artist and audience collaboration.

Jessica Cerkovnik, Global Impact 

Jessica is a rising sophomore studying finance and information systems. She is a member of UMD's Business Society and Economy Scholars program, Consult Your Community, Smith Investment Fund, Women in Finance Mentorship program, Finance Fellows program, Women in Business Association, and is a Scholars peer mentor. In the future, she hopes to continue to make a positive impact on those around her and work toward a more sustainable future. 

This summer, Jessica will be interning with Global Impact where she will learn about fundraising and campaign management. She will work with the team on fundraising, marketing and communication efforts to promote the alliance of nearly 100 international charities. 

Ela Dhankhar, van der Becq Holdings 

Ela is a rising senior studying public policy and economics. Ela previously worked for the U.S. Department of State at the Bureau of International Organization Affairs as a management and policy resources intern. She also wrote articles and examined the impact of climate change on sexual and reproductive health while interning at a nonprofit that supports the UN Population Fund.   

This summer, Ela will be interning at van der Becq Holdings working in the sustainability sector. She is excited to be involved in sustainability projects centered around water systems, impacts of global fashion and hospitality brands and woman's human rights globally during her time there.

Josh Doying, Heart of America 

Josh is a current MBA candidate at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. He has seven years experience working in education in the public, nonprofit and for profit sector. He is interested in the intersection of for profit entities and the public services that they rely on to build communities, as well as how to leverage data and technology to transform the way that we achieve social impact and solve the challenges we face as a society. He is a Fellow at the Terp Startup Accelerator, looking to launch a business to help parents and their children build meaningful daily connection through storytelling.

This summer he will be working as an impact evaluation and research intern for Heart of America, which provides modern resources and transforms spaces into motivating learning environments so students and communities can learn and grow.

Kerra Dukes, Dent Education 

Kerra is a rising sophomore and public policy major from Baltimore. She has a passion for fighting against health disparities and wants to bring health equity to underrepresented communities. After graduation, she wants to work in the nonprofit sector and has a dream of becoming a Senator one day. 

This summer, she will be working as a program support intern with Dent Education, a nonprofit in Baltimore where students are encouraged to become change agents through their passions. 

Enwongo Ekah, Young Black Giving Back Institute 

Enwongo is a second year international graduate student in the School of Public Policy. She is interested in equity in education, crisis management and equity for women in professional spaces.

This summer, she will be working as a development and communications intern with Young Black and Giving Back Institute, which serves Black-led, Black-benefitting nonprofits and its leaders with a mission to provide capacity building, convenings, and funding that uniquely meets their social impact needs. 

Sherwin Esguerra, Vikara Village

Sherwin is a rising junior from Potomac, Maryland, pursuing a degree in journalism with a minor in science, technology, ethics and policy. He is the vice president of the Filipino Cultural Association at UMCP and reports for various news organizations on-campus, including WMUC News. He has a strong focus on storytelling through multiple mediums. As a previous intern at Seacrest Studios in Children's National Hospital, Sherwin created various forms of content catered to patients and their families to brighten their days. 

This summer, he will be working as a marketing and development intern with Vikara Village, a nonprofit that emphasizes mind-body practices to empower individuals and foster their potential. 

Alison Flangel, Economic Business Growth Incubator

Alison is a rising junior from Chicago. She is pursuing a degree in government and politics as well as minors in general business and public leadership. She is very passionate about  animals, especially dogs. She consistently volunteers her time at various animal rescues to show her support for this cause. Along with animal rescue, she is very passionate about exploring new places, and hopes to eventually work for a marketing firm where she can channel her creative skills in a business setting. 

This summer, Alison will be working as a marketing intern for the Economic Business Growth Incubator, a nonprofit out of Austin Texas serving individuals who face barriers in the business field. 

Christian Folk, Arts for the Aging, Inc. 

Christian is currently a Ph.D. student in music education. He is interested in advocacy and resources for diverse composers and incorporating diversity and inclusion into the music education curriculum. Christian taught for three years in public and private schools in the Charlotte, North Carolina, and Columbia, South Carolina areas. As a conductor, Christian has guest conducted with the Carolina Wind Symphony and the Congaree New Horizons Band. As a performer, Christian has performed at the Southeastern Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference and as a guest soloist with the Winthrop University Wind Symphony, and has commissioned pieces from Cait Nishimura, Kimberly Archer, John Mackey, and Nathan Daughtrey. A strong advocate for music by diverse composers, Christian is the creator of two databases for wind band and orchestra that catalogued thousands of works by women composers and composers of color, which have been featured in clinics at The Midwest Clinic and the National Association for Music Education Conference.

This summer, Christian will be working as a communications and outreach intern for Arts for the Aging, Inc., a social service organization that engages older adults and caregivers in health improvement and life enhancement through regular participation in the multidisciplinary arts.

Zoe Gallagher, The Phillips Collection

Zoe is a senior public policy dual degree candidate with a minor in Germanic studies. Outside of policy, she is involved with UMD's Maryland Shakespeare Players as a director, and she is passionate about creating social change through artistic expression. 

This summer, she will be working as a program management and impact evaluation intern for The Phillips Collection, America’s first home for modern and contemporary art located in Dupont Circle. 

Sofia Garay, The Giving Square 

Sofia is a rising junior double majoring in multi-platform journalism and criminology and criminal justice. Sofia writes for the university's student newspaper, The Diamondback, where she covers justice, identity and equity issues as well as translates articles into Spanish for DBK en Español, the publication's Spanish section. In her free time, she loves to go on long runs and coaches a Girls on the Run team at an elementary school. After graduating from UMD, she is interested in pursuing a career in investigative journalism or criminal law. 

This summer, Sofia will be working as a development and communications intern for The Giving Square, an organization that works to encourage equity and empowerment in children's philanthropic efforts. 

Carleigh Haris, Maryland League of Conservation Voters

Carleigh is an incoming third year student at the University of Maryland. She is a double major in government and politics, and public policy, with a concentration in sustainability. She is a member of Alpha Chi Omega, the Student Government Association, and the Federal Fellows program. In her free time, she likes to cook, read and walk her dogs. 

This summer, she will be working as an electoral and policy intern for the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, a state-wide, nonpartisan organization that uses political action and education to protect our air, land, water and communities.

Alex Horn, Coalition for Smarter Growth 

Alex is a rising sophomore majoring in philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE) and urban studies. On campus, he is a staff writer for the history section of The Observer UMD—the University's first student-run political publication, and works for the Department of Transportation Services at UMD as a sustainable transportation assistant. Originally from Columbia, Maryland, he serves as the political director for the Howard County MD Young Democrats, and is heavily involved with many other progressive political campaigns.

This summer, he will be working as a policy intern with the Coalition for Smarter Growth, where he will research and advocate for sustainable and equitable public transit, affordable housing and urban planning policies.

Maya Hopkins, Black Outside Inc.

Maya is a rising junior majoring in both operations management, and business analytics and information systems with a minor in nonprofit leadership and social innovation. She is a member of the QUEST Honors program as well as the next philanthropy chair for Phi Chi Theta, a professional business fraternity at UMD. Outside of class, you can find her outdoors in her hammock listening to good music surrounded by even better friends. 

This summer, Maya will be working with Black Outside Inc. as a marketing and communications intern where she will help spread the love of the outdoors to Black communities. 

Courtney Houston, District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH) 

Courtney is an English major and nonprofit leadership and social innovation minor. She received an associate degree of general studies from Prince George's County Community College. Her passion for service in high school led her to the nonprofit curriculum in the School of Public Policy. She enjoys using her research, writing and analysis skills to aid social change in the D.C. metro area, but her heart will always be in the Prince George's County community and its grassroots nonprofits. She hope to have an illustrious career in copywriting, UX writing or technical writing when she graduates in 2023. 

This summer, she will be working as an impact evaluation and research intern for District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH), which provides access to safe housing and services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their families as they rebuild their lives on their own terms. 

Alexis Hunter, Purpose Possible 

​​Alexis is a Ph.D. student and teaching assistant in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health at the University of Maryland. She is the recipient of the Flagship Fellowship, McNair Graduate Fellowship, and a Southern Regional Board Doctoral Scholar. Alexis is passionate about her work within health and racial disparities, health equity, social justice, substance use, sexuality, and HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention. She has extensive experience as a qualitative researcher, working inside urban and rural communities. She is interested in finding creative and innovative ways to use community engaged research to structure socio-behavioral and sexual health interventions for adolescent and emerging adults to address the gaps that exist for understanding sexual and gender minority health disparities.

This summer, she will be working as a development and fundraising intern with Purpose Possible, which helps organizations meet the current demands of their operational budgets, while also planning for sustainable program expansion and organizational growth.

Emanuelle Hutman, Empowerment Center

Emanuelle is a sophomore pursuing a bachelor's degree in public policy with a focus in nonprofit leadership. Before becoming an Impact Intern, she used her policy and communications skills working for Chaiyanu under the executive board of event management. Throughout her high school career, she was responsible for project coordination with nonprofits such as Inova and Yad Yehuda, holding the position of head of community service for NCSY Greater Washington for two consecutive years.

This summer, she will be working with Empowerment Center, a nonprofit focused on community growth, as their program management and design intern. She will develop databases for donors and innovative programs aiding various communities.

Mohammad Ibrahim, B-360

Mohammad is a rising sophomore with plans to double major in public health and information science. He is a member of the College Parks Scholars Public Leadership program and is very passionate about nonprofit work that assists children in escaping poverty, improving their health and expanding their prospects. Mohammad has worked for organizations like Unicef and volunteered at local community centers where he taught kids aged 4 to 10. His long-term ambition is to become a physical therapist and work for a charity organization that helps orphaned children. 

This summer, he will be working as a program development and communications intern for B-360, which uses dirt bike culture to end the cycle of poverty, disrupt the prison pipeline and build bridges in communities. 

Casey Kindall, Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc.

Casey is a rising third year criminology and criminal justice Ph.D. student. Her research interests include crime and place, policing and race, gender, sexual orientation and criminal justice. During her undergraduate career she studied psychology and criminology and criminal justice at UMD. 

This summer, she will be working as an impact evaluation and programming intern with Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc.,  a green nonprofit housing developer and counseling agency based in Prince George’s County, Maryland dedicated to revitalizing neighborhoods.

Anisha Kosuri, American Rivers

Anisha is a rising junior studying finance and English. She is also a student in the University Honors and QUEST Honors programs, where she works in interdisciplinary teams to create meaningful change in the domestic community. On campus, she is a consultant for Snider Consulting Group, engagement leader for Consult Your Community, member of the Dean's Student Advisory Council, and teaching assistant for a Strategic Management course.

This summer, she is excited to intern with American Rivers, a nonprofit that works to create a future of clean water and healthy rivers.

Ruby Liles, The SEED Foundation

Ruby is a rising junior studying philosophy, politics, and economics with a minor in nonprofit leadership and social innovation. She is a part of the College Park Scholars International Studies program and has served as an international studies peer mentor. Having previously worked at the Children’s Defense Fund in programs and training and Teach For America as an IGNITE Fellow, she has a hands-on understanding of the long-term disparities caused by inaccessibility to early care and education, particularly for children and families in poverty, and is passionate about educational justice. 

This summer, she will be working as a program management and design intern at the SEED Foundation, which partners with urban communities to provide educational opportunities that prepare underserved students for success in college and beyond. 

Lindsay Lotter, Taking Effective Action, Inc. (TEA) 

Lindsay is a rising senior studying public health science with a minor in global poverty. During her time at the University of Maryland, she has been involved with the CARE to Stop Violence office as a peer educator, worked as an undergraduate lab assistant with the Human Integrative Physiology Lab, and has served as the 2022-2023 president of the Panhellenic Association. Lindsay is passionate about power-based violence prevention, intersectional healthcare, and reducing health disparity. Lindsay is a member of the Accelerated BS-MPH program, and intends to stay at the University of Maryland to complete her master’s of public health with a concentration in health equity. 

This summer, she will be working as a communications intern with Taking Effective Action, a community-based health education organization. In her role, she will be assisting with developing content for public health campaigns and drafting grant proposals.

Kassandra Mante, Noble Uprising 

Kassandra is a senior community health major in the department of behavioral and community health. She is passionate about the promotion and protection of women's health and infant health, especially amongst families of color. Her interests align toward working to mitigate the poor health outcomes present in these communities. After the completion of her degree, Kassandra will be attending nursing school where she will work toward earning her bachelor's in nursing. She hopes to combine both of her degrees and develop into an an advocate and ally for ethical and equitable healthcare for underserved women from marginalized communities.  

This summer, she will be working as a development and grant management intern for Noble Uprising, which serves, educates and empowers women experiencing poverty through socially responsible programs and resources necessary to enhance overall quality of life.

Gabby Michel, Howard County Autsim Society 

Gabby is majoring in psychology and double minoring in sociology and human development with an intended graduation date of December 2022. Gabby's passions include giving back to her community, helping others and working with children. She hopes to use these passions to continue making a difference in others lives.

This summer, she will be working as an event management intern with the Howard County Autism Society where she will work on a variety of tasks including fundraising, event planning, and budgeting to help prepare for the organizations Walk & 5k run fundraiser. 

Maura Miranda, The Giving Square 

Maura is a rising senior majoring in media and digital communication with a minor in U.S. Latino/a/x studies. A former student of the Media, Self, and Society College Park Scholars program, she enjoys studying media representations of minorities, particularly the Latinx community. Maura recently completed a social media internship for her argumentation and public policy class. 

This summer, she will be interning with The Giving Square, in which she will continue working with social media and program development. Maura will be helping motivate students to become philanthropists. 

Samira Mudd, Ulman Foundation 

Samira is a rising senior from Takoma Park, Maryland pursuing a dual degree in government and politics and chemistry. She will be pursuing a master’s degree at UMD following her graduation in the field of international security. She is a volunteer EMT and tutors for Peer to Peer, an organization partnered with the IRC, as well as for the Professional Chemistry fraternity on campus. She has worked in biochemistry research at UMD and hopes to expand her research skills to the social sciences arena as well. Her interests are expansive but she would like to ultimately combine her passions in the medical field with diplomacy work.

This summer, she will be working with the Ulman Foundation as the 4K intern to help strengthen recruitment programs for the fundraising events on college campuses. She will be researching prospective groups on various campuses and act as the liaison between these groups and the Ulman Foundation.

Elizabeth Rojas, There Goes My Hero 

Elizabeth is a rising sophomore from Silver Spring, Maryland pursuing a degree in biology alongside a minor in environmental sustainability. She's a member of the Honors Humanities Living & Learning program as well as Doctors without Boarders and her local Red Cross organization. Before becoming an Impact Intern, she's held internships with FDA and NIH, focusing on expanding knowledge on leukemia and advancing treatments.

This summer, she will be working as a grant management intern with There Goes My Hero, a nonprofit focused on helping those impacted by the tragedies of blood cancer through support and coordinating bone marrow drives.

Leo Rubinson, Boys and Girls Club of Metropolitan Baltimore

Leo is a philosophy, politics, and economics major with a passion for law, justice, and public service. Before becoming an Impact Intern, Leo has worked with a nonprofit in West Baltimore focused on food justice and interned as a law clerk with Maryland Legal Aid. Most recently, he interned in the United States Senate in the office of Senator Chris Van Hollen. 

This summer, he will be interning as a content writer with the Boys and Girls of Club of Metropolitan Baltimore. His internship will use his writing skills through highlighting the best work of the Boys and Girls Club.  

Aasritha Sanikommu, Bethesda Green & Epic Homeschool Network 

Aasritha is a rising sophomore pursuing computer science from Pennsylvania. On campus, she is involved in the Business and IT Society and Consult Your Community. She is interested in how technology can improve business. 

This summer, she will be interning with Bethesda Green and EPIC Homeschool Network. With Bethesda Green, she will be spearheading the 2021 summer speaker series for the Innovation Lab and strengthening the innovation lab database of impact investors. With the EPIC Homeschool Network, she will be cultivating existing and building new relationships with individuals and businesses in order to enhance the experience their students receive and strengthen their impact on the community.

Antonio Santoro, Empowerment Center

As a macro oriented thinker, Antonio employs his creative mind to develop practical and actionable ideas and solutions. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in public policy, and will be graduating this fall. In his free time, Antonio loves to write short stories, draw, play music, read, and hike.  

This summer, he will be working as a program management and design intern for the Empowerment Center, which helps communities empower themselves and discover personal, familial and communal resources to live, learn and grow.

Marissa Sariol-Clough, Community Advocates for Family and Youth (CAFY) 

Marissa just completed her third year as an education policy and leadership Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland. Her research interests range from early childhood education to teacher preparation programs. Specifically, she is interested in how experiencing poverty and being low-income impacts children’s social, cognitive, and physical development and how education policies can reduce the negative impacts of poverty on children’s long-term development. This includes addressing barriers to parent involvement in education, access to high quality healthcare and childcare, and providing low-income schools with resources equivalent to their middle- and high-income peers, e.g., high quality books and teachers, up-to-date technology, adequate school buildings, and creating a supportive school culture.

This summer, Marissa will be working as a research and evaluation intern for Community Advocates for Family and Youth (CAFY),  which aims to embrace, educate and empower those impacted, affected, or harmed by crime or trauma on their journey to justice and healing.

Kalin Schultz, Ballet After Dark 

Kalin is a Ph.D. student in the department of Communication studying rhetoric and political culture. Her research focuses on feminist resistance and discourses concerning social movement. 

This summer, she will be working as an program support and grant writing intern for Ballet After Dark, which helps youth and women reprocess, rebuild and reclaim relationships with their bodies following sexual abuse and trauma using the healing power of dance.

Hillary Steen, Greater Washington Community Foundation 

Hillary is a MPM student specializing in nonprofit management and leadership. After graduating from New York University in 2014, she moved to Washington, D.C. to start her career in the nonprofit sector. She has experience primarily in fundraising and federal grants management, skills that she acquired while working at a national disability advocacy organization and an international public health nonprofit. Hillary is interested in various aspects and issue areas within the nonprofit sector, and she understands the importance of intersectionality and collaboration among departments, issue areas, approaches, and organizations. On campus, she is a member of SEEC - the Sustainability, Environment, and Energy Council.

This summer, she will be working as a program management and event planning intern for the Greater Washington Community Foundation, which builds thriving communities through community leadership, local giving, civic engagement, and strategic philanthropy. 

Gracie Tanner, Democracy Initiative 

Gracie is a rising senior public policy and multi-platform journalism double major with an interest in the nonprofit and social impact sector. She currently serves as the president and editor-in-chief of Her Campus at Maryland, a women's empowerment publication, and is a part of the University Honors community. She was also involved with the Do Good Institute as an Ambassador during the 2021-2022 academic year and is a member of Phi Alpha Delta, the University's professional pre-law fraternity. Outside of school, Gracie is passionate about women's rights, working toward a clean environment and gun violence awareness. 

This summer, she will be working as a communications intern for Democracy Initiative, which works toward a bright future in which all Americans participate fully and freely in the democratic process.

Jordyn Taylor, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) 

Jordyn is a junior public policy BA/MPP student with a minor in Spanish, and is passionate about education and social policy. She is also a part of the Honors Humanities program in the Honors College. In her free time, she is team leader with Maryland Mentor Corps, where she mentors Prince George’s County elementary students in reading. She also serves as the vice president for Kappa Omega Alpha, UMD's public policy professional fraternity.

This summer, Jordyn will be working as a project management and research intern for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), which supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy for children and youth who have experienced abuse or neglect. 

Madison Townsend, Community Ecology Institute

This summer, Madison will be working as a program management and design intern for Community Ecology Institute, a nonprofit organization with a mission to enhance community health and well-being by fostering diverse connections between people and the natural world.

Nessa Vandi, Stella’s Girls

Nessa is a sophomore pursuing a B.A. in criminology and criminal justice with hopes to pursue a master’s and Ph.D. in public policy. Growing up in the Middle East for 14 years has given her a passion for social justice and women's issues and she has been working in advocacy ever since. Her current focus is research preventing worldwide juvenile delinquency in low-income communities by providing alternatives, beginning with access to education and academic success. 

This summer, Nessa will be working as a donor relations manager with Stella's Girls, an organization providing education and leadership skills to young women in Maryland and Liberia. 

Amanda Vu, Ballet After Dark 

Amanda is a rising junior double majoring in psychology and community health and minoring in Asian American studies. She aspires to become a clinical psychologist working with APIDA sexual assault survivors. She is originally from Laurel, Maryland but a proud daughter of two Vietnamese immigrants. Passionate about transformative justice, Amanda works as a Peer Educator with the CARE (Campus Advocates Respond and Educate) to Stop Violence Office, where she leads interactive workshops with students in various classes and organizations. She is also the vice president of external affairs for the Asian American Student Union (AASU), working to further cross-cultural solidarity between different cultural organizations on campus. Last fall, she helped plan a community meeting on sexual assault in the APIDA community, where she presented and facilitated informative discussions with her fellow peers. 

This summer, she will work as a partnership development and fundraising intern for Ballet After Dark, which helps youth and women reprocess, rebuild and reclaim relationships with their bodies following sexual abuse and trauma using the healing power of dance.  

Laura Wortman, Community Youth Advance 

Laura is a rising junior majoring in government and politics with a concentration in international relations and journalism. She has previously interned for Voice of America and is a passionate storyteller and music junkie. Laura loves learning about different cultures and traveling and hopes to use her education and talents to give a voice to marginalized groups in the world. 

This summer, she will be working as a development and communications intern for Community Youth Advance, which harnesses the power of community and transforms out-of-school time to teach, reach and keep youth on the path to success.

 A special thank you to the Neilom Foundation and the Center for Engineering Concepts Development for their partnership on this program.

Learn more about the Impact Interns program here.