Thirty-four College Students Interning with Government Agencies

The 2015 Maine Government Summer Internship Program began May 26, with 34 college students interning in various state agencies.

The Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine administers the 2015 Maine Government Summer Internship Program — a full-time, 12-week, paid work experience.

Students’ majors include political science, economics, engineering and environmental science. Most study at in-state colleges and universities, while others are Maine residents pursuing their education out of state.

Departments hosting the interns include: Education; Labor; Transportation; Corrections; Administrative and Financial Services; Professional and Financial Regulation; Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management; Maine State Library; and Workers’ Compensation.

For many years, the program has offered a unique opportunity for talented college students to work within Maine state government. Interns provide valuable assistance to state agencies while gaining practical and professional skills in their fields of study. Most interns are based in Augusta, while others travel to work in various parts of the state.

The Maine Government Summer Internship Program was established in 1967 by the 103rd Maine Legislature to attract and select college students with ambition and talent for temporary internships within Maine state government.

A total of 1,712 students have participated in the program. Undergraduate and graduate students who either reside in Maine or attend a Maine school are eligible.

The 2015 interns:

  • Joseph Greco, of Greene, Maine, is a political science/business management major at Thomas College. Greco is a property management intern in the Bureau of General Services/Property Management Division with the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services.
  • Darine Gnidehoue, of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, is a actuarial science major at the University of Maine at Farmington. Gnidehoue is a tax examiner assistant for Maine Revenue Services with the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services.
  • Alexander Roberts, of Randolph, Maine, is a mechanical engineering major at the University of Maine. Roberts is a special projects assistant with the Bureau of General Services in the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services
  • Robert Potts of North Yarmouth, Maine, is a history/political science major at the University of Maine. Potts is a Juvenile Justice Advisory Group assistant with the Juvenile Justice Advisory Group in the Maine Department of Corrections.
  • Haileigh Kochis, of Oakland, Maine, is a biology major at Carroll College. Kochis is an energy systems assistant with Facilities Engineering at the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management.
  • William Noble, of Sidney, Maine, is an ecology and environmental science major at the University of Maine. Noble is a GIS intern in the Maine Emergency Management Agency at the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management.
  • Alyssa Withee, of West Gardiner, Maine, is a political science major at the University of Southern Maine. Withee is a community organizations disaster recovery/preparedness capacity building intern in the Maine Emergency Management Agency at the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management.
  • Spencer Shagoury, of Hallowell, Maine, is a government and legal studies major at Bowdoin College. Shagoury is an emergency operations planning intern at the Maine Emergency Management Agency in the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management.
  • Ashley Godbout of Hallowell, Maine, is a secondary education major at the University of Maine at Farmington. Godbout is a Maine Learning Technology Initiative assistant with the Maine Learning Technology Initiative at the Maine Department of Education.
  • Fiona Sterling of Richmond, Maine, is a management/leadership major at Hellenic College. Sterling is a Maine Learning Technology Initiative assistant with the Maine Learning Technology Initiative at the Maine Department of Education.
  • Laura Perez of Biddeford, Maine, is an international affairs major at the University of Maine. Perez is a migrant education field and office assistant in the Migrant Education Office with the Maine Department of Education.
  • Jesse Juntura, of Greene, Maine, is a government/global studies major at the University of Maine. Juntura is a migrant education field and office assistant in the Migrant Education Office with the Maine Department of Education.
  • Chauncey Devin, of Manchester, Maine, is a resource economics major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Devin is a research and planning intern in research and communications at MaineHousing.
  • Taylor Talmage, of Auburn, Maine, attends the University of Maine School of Law. Talmage is a legal intern in the Office of the Public Advocate with the Maine Executive Department.
  • Treva deMaynadier, of China, Maine, is an anthropology major at Oberlin College. deMaynadier is a migrant and seasonal farmworker survey assistant with the Maine Monitor Advocate at the Maine Department of Labor.
  • Emily Colfer, of Manchester, Maine, is an international development major at Northumbria University. Colfer is a disability employment assistant in the Bureau of Employment Services at the Maine Department of Labor.
  • Kathryn Bernatchez of Belgrade, Maine, is a political science major at Boston University. Bernatchez is a computer conversion project assistant with the Bureau of Employment Services at the Maine Department of Labor.
  • Sarah Dean, of Richmond, Maine, is a marketing/international business major at the University of Maine. Dean is a communication assistant in the Office of the Commissioner at the Maine Department of Labor.
  • Kyle Norweg, of Norridgewock, Maine, is a public and environmental affairs/Russian and East European studies major at Indiana University. Norweg is a publications intern with the Bureau of Unemployment Insurance at the Maine Department of Labor.
  • Arianna Castonguay, of Augusta, Maine, is an economics major at the University of Maine. Castonguay is an assistant to the principal examiner at the Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection at the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation.
  • Kimberly Clark, of Portland, Maine, is an American and New England studies major at the University of Southern Maine. Clark is a collections digitization intern at Collections, Digital Initiatives and Promotion with the Maine State Library.
  • Pauline Bickford-Duane, of Orrington, Maine, is an English and French studies major at Wheaton College. Bickford-Duane is a collections digitization intern at Collections, Digital Initiatives and Promotion with the Maine State Library.
  • Amanda Brackett of Vassalboro, Maine, is an environmental science major at Clark University. Brackett is an environment-natural resource field and data assistant at the Environmental Office with the Maine Department of Transportation.
  • Noah Bosworth, of Farmingdale, Maine, is a conservation biology and ecology major at Montana State University. Bosworth is the Environment-Bridge Group assistant at the Environmental Office–Bridge Group with the Maine Department of Transportation.
  • Alyssa Gartley, of South China, Maine, is a civil engineering major at the University of Maine. Gartley is a hydrology-water resources intern at the Environmental Office-Surface Water Resources Division with the Maine Department of Transportation.
  • Drew Olehowski, of Lewiston, Maine, is an environmental engineering major at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Olehowski is a hydrology-water resources intern at the Environmental Office-Surface Water Resources Division at the Maine Department of Transportation.
  • Seikah Roberts, of Brunswick, Maine, is an environmental science major at Juniata College. Roberts is an Office of Audit assistant in Finance and Administration with the Maine Department of Transportation.
  • Eric Sanderson, of Falmouth, Maine, is a political science/economics major at Stonehill College. Sanderson is a transportation planning intern in the Office of Planning at the Maine Department of Transportation.
  • Grace Gould, of Waterville, Maine, is a chemistry major at the University of Maine. Gould is a GIS/data inventory assistant with the Results and Information Office at the Maine Department of Transportation.
  • Andrew Roberts, of Randolph, Maine, is a mechanical engineering major at the University of Maine. Roberts is a traffic engineering work zone safety and mobility assistant in Maintenance and Operations at the Maine Department of Transportation.
  • Lindsay Bellegarde, of Waterville, Maine, is a criminal justice major at Thomas College.  Bellegarde is an ADA inventory assistant in the Civil Rights Office at the Maine Department of Transportation.
  • Robert Swain, of Augusta, Maine, is a chemistry/mathematics major at Columbia University. Swain is an ADA inventory assistant in the Civil Rights Office at the Maine Department of Transportation.
  • Sam Nielsen, of Manchester, Maine, is a civil engineering major at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Nielsen is a traffic engineering/ancillary structures intern in Maintenance and Operations at the Maine Department of Transportation.
  • Helen Hanson, of South China, Maine, is a paralegal studies major at Husson University. Hanson is a legal assistant with the Advocate Division, Portland Regional Office, of the Maine Workers’ Compensation Board.

Contact: Charles Morris, 207.581.4135