The Maine Department of Education today announced five student interns have joined the team for the summer. Throughout the summer, the students will assist in the daily operations of the Maine DOE while working remotely due to COVID-19. The interns will be working for a variety of Department of Education teams including the Department of Assessments, the Volunteer Maine Commission, the Commissioner’s Office, and the Office of Special Services.
“Maine DOE offers an enthusiastic welcome to our summer interns! Our work is always enriched by fresh perspectives, creativity, and energy – and we hope that the interns will gain valuable skills and new insights during their time with us!” said Pender Makin, Maine Department of Education Commissioner.
Louisa Goldman is a recent graduate from Colby College where she majored in American Studies while also on the pre-med track. She is currently applying to medical schools with hopes of going into primary care. Louisa would also like to pursue an MPH, which would allow her to join the field of public health policy. This summer, Louisa will be working with the Maine DOE’s Department of Assessments team as the Assessment Webmaster. She will be redesigning the Assessments webpage and producing test-specific infographics in an effort to increase accessibility for interested families. She hopes to gain a better understanding of how accessibility can be used to make for more effective communication and is excited to create materials that will be consumed by a wide audience. In her free time, Louisa enjoys writing, going for runs, and sailing and is incredibly passionate about journalism, and local reporting. Louisa is from St. Louis, Missouri.
Anthony Inhorn is a rising junior at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He is a Political Science and American History double major, and Environmental Policy and Culture minor. This summer, he will be interning as a Research Associate with Volunteer Maine, Maine’s Service Commission. Anthony will be responsible for researching the biggest issues that Maine will be facing in the coming years and analyzing the reports of various governmental and nonprofit organizations to better understand where support exists for volunteer programs to make an impact surrounding those issues. This work will culminate in a report for the Volunteer Maine commission with his findings and recommendations of where local and national Americorps volunteers can be best utilized. He will also be working to create a database of all of the operational nonprofits in Maine. Anthony hopes to gain a deep understanding of the workings of the Maine government and volunteer programs in the state, and will be working to take his research and writing skills to the next level. He is looking forward to gaining valuable experience in government work while having the opportunity to serve his home state. In his free time, Anthony enjoys watching cartoons, reading on the beach, hiking, playing Spikeball, and getting into debates about history and politics. Anthony is passionate about protecting the environment, learning about history, and competing on his school’s model U.N. team. Anthony is from Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
Nathan McIvor is a rising senior studying English and Philosophy at the University of Maine Farmington. This summer, he will serve as the Public Affairs Intern at Volunteer Maine, Maine’s Service Commission. Nathan will be supporting the department’s communications officer, creating press materials, and assisting with several website projects. He looks forward to learning more about government and communications work. Nathan says that the best part about this internship is that it will provide him a wide variety of opportunities, such as social media outreach, producing videos, graphic design, participating in the department’s Communications and Public Policy task force, and writing press materials. Looking forward, Nathan is drawn to careers that involve writing editing, and creativity. He is interested in communications work, preferably for a government agency, school, or nonprofit whose mission he supports. In his free time, Nathan enjoys reading, hiking, kayaking, and traveling. He is passionate about helping others, a sustainable future, a fair and equitable society, and art. Nathan is from Jefferson, Maine.
Aidan Sachs is a rising senior at Connecticut College where she is a Human Development major and Psychology minor. Aidan is also a member of her college’s Elementary Education Teacher Certificate Program and is a selected scholar through Connecticut College’s Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy. This summer, she will serve as the Education Commissioner’s Office Intern where she will be working with the Communications and Legislative teams. Over the course of the summer, Aidan will be working on a variety of projects, including writing Good News Stories for the DOE’s website, helping to redesign the Professional Development Calendar, assisting the legislative team with the 129th Legislative Second Session Publication for K-12 Educational Leaders, as well as working with the Commissioner’s Student Cabinet. This summer, Aidan hopes to expand on her writing skills, and to learn about roles within the department to further her career interest in education. Aidan is looking forward to connecting with DOE staff across departments and to taking advantage of opportunities to sit in on meetings and learn more about the innerworkings of the department. In the future, she hopes to become an elementary school teacher here in Maine and to pursue a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. In her free time, Aidan enjoys skiing, hiking, paddle boarding, and kayaking. She is passionate about working with children in many different settings, and loves watching them learn and construct knowledge. Aidan is from Brunswick, Maine.
Olivia Wilson is a rising senior at Husson University majoring in Web Design. This summer, Olivia will be interning with the Maine DOE’s Office of Special Services, where she will serve as their Website Development and Content Specialist. Over the course of the summer, Olivia will work to create an interactive experience for teachers and students, as well as maintain and frame content into the Special Services website. She hopes to expand her skill set in web design and gain more experience that can be applied to her future career. Olivia is looking forward to seeing what she can achieve and to working on projects that she finds enjoyment in. In the future, Olivia plans to become a Front-End Web Developer for a big company, and to start her own company to help local businesses. Olivia enjoys photography, singing, hanging out with her cat, and going on road trips. She is extremely passionate about music and art and looks forward to incorporating this into her career. Olivia is from Bangor, Maine.