Each year, the UMass Amherst School of Public Policy brings students to Washington, Boston, New York, and other sites to connect with policy professionals—many of them alumni of the program—to network and learn about the wide range of careers they might pursue.
On SPP's annual trip to Washington, DC, students visit government agencies and nonprofit organizations and meet with legislators and others working in public service and policy-related fields.
On recent DC trips, students met with US Congressperson Jim McGovern (top photo) and staffers from the office of US Senator Elizabeth Warren and visited organizations including the International Food Policy Research Institute, the Government Accountability Office, Booz Allen Hamilton, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Governors Association, and Refugees International. The trips also include receptions and other social opportunities for students to make valuable connections with alumni and other professionals in the field.
SPP's Beacon Hill Project brings students on regular trips to Boston, where students get a front-row view of the policymaking process through meetings with legislators, advocacy groups, nonprofit leaders, and government officials.
In the past year, Boston trips included visits with representatives from the Federal Reserve, the office of Governor Charlie Baker, the Shorenstein Center, the Massachusetts Black and Latino Caucus, and the Massachusetts Municipal Association.
Students also met with former US Congressperson Marty Meehan, now president of the University of Massachusetts, who shared insights from his career in politics and policy. In addition, they got a special tour of the Massachusetts State House (photo left) during a visit with Representative Christine Barber, an alumna of the School of Public Policy.
SPP also organizes professional development and networking trips to New York, with stops at sites ranging from the United Nations, where students might meet with officers working on human rights and humanitarian efforts, to the Alliance for Downtown New York, an urban policy advocacy group.
