Internships in government service
Giving students real-world public-policy experience through the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows program
The Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows program exposes undergraduate UVA students to government work and its impact through 10-week, full-time, high-level internships with elected officials and agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. The program creates the opportunity for participants to become engaged citizens and develop an informed view of government service and operations.
Students submit applications through Handshake by typing the keywords “Leonard Schaeffer” into the search bar under "Jobs" in Handshake.
Students may apply for up to 3 of the 10 Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service Internships.
See the UVA Career Center’s website for more application details.
Have questions? Reach out to Alfred Reaves IV at ar2vc@virginia.edu.
2023 fellows
Gloria Akol
Class of 2025
Major: Foreign Affairs
Drew Barr
Class of 2024
Major: Government
Minor: Entrepreneurship
Sean Frias
Class of 2024
Major: Commerce
Caleb Kuo
Class of 2026
Major: Government
Minor: Economics
Patrick Lambrecht
Class of 2025
Major: Global Security & Justice
Interests: Psychology
Eli Le
Class of 2024
Major: Biology
Sofia Marrero
Class of 2024
Major: Global Development
Minor: Foreign Affairs
Christian Meloni
Class of 2024
Major: Government
Sidney Seybold
Class of 2025
Major: History
Minor: Public Policy & Leadership
Nadia Varga
Class of 2025
Major: Global Security & Justice
2022 fellows
Cristin Choi
Class of 2023
Major: Politics; Master of Public Policy
Interests: Peace Corps, U.S. Dept. of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps
Madeleine Frank
Class of 2023
Major: Political Philosophy, Policy and Law/History (double major)
Interests: Government benefit programs, political campaigns, student journalism, comedy performance
Seamus Gorman
Class of 2023
Major: Foreign Affairs/Russian Language and Literature (double major)
Interests: National security issues in the public sector, Russia, China, Jordan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Virginia
Alexandra Hubbard
Class of 2024
Major: Youth and Social Innovation; Media Studies minor
Interests: UVA Arts Mentors, Students for Equity and Reform in Virginia, UVA Inter-Sorority Council Judiciary Board, school board elections
Eva Kretsinger-Walters
Class of 2024
Major: Foreign Affairs/Public Policy and Leadership (double major)
Interests: U.S. Department of State, international development, sustainability, tech and education accessibility, Spanish language
Jeremy Odrich
Class of 2024
Major: Government/Music (double major)
Interests: American legal system, jazz guitar
Terrell Pittman
Class of 2025
Major: Sociology/African American Studies (double major)
Interests:Civil rights, social media, police accountability, legal scholarship, first-generation college students, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity
Ava Purcell
Class of 2023
Major: Youth and Social Innovation; Master of Public Policy
Interests: Education policy, EdTech Evidence Exchange, Sensory Theater Endless Possibilities Virginia, Alpha Chi Omega
Lily Toruteva
Class of 2023
Major: Public Policy/Economics (double major); Philosophy/Social Entrepreneurship minors
Interests: U.S. Department of Commerce, Community Investment Collaborative, UVA Net Impact, Ashoka
Anthony Tran
Class of 2024
Major: Government
Interests: Legislative processes, empowering others, community involvement, youth soccer, Big Brother, UVA Men’s Leadership Project
2021 fellows
Vani Agarwal
Class of 2023
Major/Minor: Economics
Internship: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Lindsay Asmussen
Class of 2023
Major/Minor: Global Environment + Sustainability/Politics
Internship: U.S. Department of Energy
Julia Calland
Class of 2022
Major/Minor: Psychology/English
Internship: Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the DOJ
Patty Edouard
Class of 2022
Major/Minor: Biomedical Engineering
Internship: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CMS CCIIO)
Skylar Jackman
Class of 2024
Major/Minor: Environmental Science and Environmental Thought & Practice (double major)
Internship: United States Department of Energy
Dana Korotovskikh
Class of 2023
Major/Minor: Statistics (Economics concentration)/French
Internship: Fluvanna County Economic Development
Valencia Lagbo
Class of 2022
Major/Minor: Global Development Studies and Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy
Internship: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Lauren O’Neil
Class of 2023
Major/Minor: Political Philosophy, Policy, and Law/Public Policy and Sociology
Internship: Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch, Richmond, Virginia City Council
Neeka Samimi
Class of 2023
Major/Minor: Politics/Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and Environmental and Urban Planning
Internship: Arlington County Economic Independence Division
Rachel Smith
Class of 2022
Major/Minor: Foreign Affairs and French (double major)
Internship: U.S. Trade and Development Agency
2020 fellows
Max Barte
Class of 2022
Internship: Arlington County Department of Human Services
What I learned: "I had to determine the best way to store and analyze data on the thousands of families requesting help."
Leah Erwin
Class of 2021
Internship: Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger
What I learned: "I worked drafting press releases, compiling news clips, tracking ongoing legislation."
Diana Gaiter
Class of 2021; Master's in Public Policy, 2022
Internship: Arlington County
What I learned: "As a biracial woman, I've always wanted to learn more about racial equity."
William Gatchel
Internship: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
What I learned: "I was able to meet and interact with deep sea biologists, paleontologists, paleo art experts, and many more."
Yixuan Liu
Internship: Employee Rights Section of the Department of Justice
What I learned: "I wanted experience with civil rights law. The office culture was very close-knit. I expected government offices to be more formal and no-nonsense."
Justin May
Internship: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
What I learned: "A ton about the inner-workings of health insurance claims data, reinsurance regulations, and the functioning within a governmental division."
Ashley Staggers
UVA's School of Education and Batten School
Internship: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, youth program
What I learned: "I could impact young people on a national scale."
Mariah Tighe
Internship: Virginia State Police, Violent Crimes and Cold Cases Unit
What I learned: "I worked on a project investigating individuals to determine if they were alive, dead, or still missing."