52 college students begin 12-week Maine government internships 

Fifty-two undergraduate and graduate college students have started working in state, municipal and county offices through the 2022 Maine Government Summer Internship Program. 

The Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine administers the program that provides full-time, 12-week work experience to students who are Maine residents and scholars attending Maine colleges. 

Thirty-seven interns are working in departments of Maine state government, including Education; Labor; Economic and Community Development; Environmental Protection; Finance; and Transportation. Thirteen are taking part in municipal and county internships in locations ranging from Houlton to Bridgton to Windham. Two more interns are placed with a regional planning commission and a nonprofit transportation planning agency.

The students’ educational backgrounds include law, business, government, communications, environmental studies, engineering, and economics. They’re utilizing knowledge and skills they’ve gained in higher education to work as GIS specialists, town manager assistants, law interns, data analysts, marketing and planning specialists, media content creators, and conservation assistants. Many have expressed interest in pursuing a career in government or public service.

The MCS Policy Center pairs each intern with a direct supervisor in the host agency, department or municipality. Students tackle assigned projects and provide their skills, enthusiasm and fresh approaches to issues facing departments and communities. Students gain professional work experience, networking opportunities, and insights into the functions of local and state governments.

The 103rd Maine Legislature established the Maine Government Summer Internship Program in 1967 to attract and select college students with ambition and talent for temporary internships within government. Over the past 50 years, more than 1,800 students have completed internships. For more information, visit mcspolicycenter.umaine.edu.

Following are the interns, in alphabetical order, as well as their hometowns, school attending, and placements.

Peyton Arbour of Sidney, Maine; Stevenson University; solid waste engineering unit assistant, Maine Department of Environmental Protection;

Karoline Bass of Orono, Maine; St. Lawrence University; city document management and social media intern, City of Old Town;

Nina Boudreau of Hallowell, Maine; Colby-Sawyer College; Office of Creative Services intern, Maine Department of Transportation;

Hunter Brown of Lebanon, Maine; Franklin Pierce University; conservation intern, Maine Department of Defense Veterans and Emergency Management, Maine Army National Guard;

Alexa Bryant of Hartland, Maine; Middlebury College; communications team intern, Maine Department of Education;

Augustin Buyeye of Lewiston, Maine; Central Maine Community College; contract grant assistant, Maine Department of Public Safety;

Martin Carriere of Lewiston, Maine; Bates College; recycling program intern, Maine Department of Environmental Protection;

Hailey Champagne of Lewiston, Maine; University of Maine; Step Up summer intern, Maine Department of Labor, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation;

Savannah Clark of Vassalboro, Maine; University of Maine; cemetery project coordinator, Town of China;

Abigail Cloutier of New Gloucester, Maine; University of Maine at Farmington;  community outreach assistant, Town of Gray;

Sadie Colby of Sidney, Maine; University of Maine; assistant to the town manager, Town of Fayette, Maine;

Annabelle Collins of Jay, Maine; University of Maine; engineering/energy assistant, Maine Department of Defense Veterans and Emergency Management, Maine Army National Guard;

Nathan Couture of Manchester, Maine; University of Southern Maine; data warehouse assistant, Maine Judicial Branch, Administrative Office of the Courts;

Nathan Farnsworth of Auburn, Maine; Bryant University; strengthening our digital connection with the community intern, Town of Winthrop;

Erin Frankhauser of Pittston, Maine; St. Thomas University; computer science education research assistant, Maine Department of Education;

Keegan Gentle of Houlton, Maine; University of Maine; cemetery census and mapping project organizer, Town of Houlton;

Emily Gerencer of Gardiner, Maine; Gustavus Adolphus College; climate resiliency and planning assistant, Lincoln County;

Alden Hallett of Chelsea, Maine; University of Maine; planning and ordinance review assistant; Town of Chelsea;

Jackson Hansen of Brunswick, Maine; Bowdoin College; housing intern, City of Bath;  

Ryan Harke of Portland, Maine; University of Maine School of Law; consumer credit examiner intern, Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation;

Grace Harvey of Old Town, Maine; Colby College; innovative education assistant, Maine Department of Education;

Chase Holak of Bluffton, South Carolina; University of Maine at Farmington; records management and operations intern, Maine Department of Education;

Athen Hollis of Steep Falls, Maine; Marist College; assistant to the community development office, Town of Bridgton;

Caroline Jeffrey of Blue Hill, Maine; George Washington University; climate, culture, and resiliency team assistant, Maine Department of Education;

Keying Jiang of Saco, Maine; Brandeis University; junior compensation analyst, Judicial Branch, Administrative Office of the Courts;

Tessa Kilgore of South Portland, Maine; University of Michigan; data research and GIS mapping intern, Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission;

Abigail Johnson of Orono, Maine; University of Maine; marketing and communications intern, Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Human Resources;

Gus La Casse of Trenton, Maine; University of Maine; computer science education research assistant, Maine Department of Education;

Rosalie Leonard of South Portland, Maine; Clark University; data analyst, Department of Labor, Center for Workforce Research & Information;

Noah Lessard of Gray, Maine; University of Maine; engineering/energy assistant, Maine Department of Defense Veterans and Emergency Management, Maine Army National Guard;

Keiran Lorentzen of Yarmouth, Maine; Kenyon College; beverage container redemption program intern, Maine Department of Environmental Protection;

Gabrielle Low of Winthrop, Maine; University of Connecticut; workers’ compensation assistant, Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Office of Employee Health and Wellness;

Scott McCallister of Sidney, Maine; University of Maine at Augusta; assistant planner, Maine Department of Defense Veterans and Emergency Management, Maine Army National Guard;

Shaylyn MacKinnon of Portland, Maine; University of Michigan; American rescue plan policy project manager, Maine Department of Health and Human Services;

Evan Ma of Mashpee, Massachusetts; Bates College; city planning and rezoning assistant, City of Auburn;

Derek Malinowski of West Gardiner, Maine; University of Southern Maine; benefits and policies coordinator, Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Office of Employee Health and Wellness;

Jackson Martin of Unity, Maine; University of Maine; human resources planning assistant, Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services;

Cat Merkle of Waterville, Maine; Colby College; MTSS framework content and web development assistant, Maine Department of Education;

Sierra Millay of Chelsea, Maine; Mount Holyoke College; planning resource analyst, Maine Department of Transportation;

Grace Nichols of Portland, Maine; University of Maine School of Law; advocate assistant, Maine Workers’ Compensation Board;

Hung Nguyen of Hanoi, Vietnam; University of Southern Maine; public works intern/road analyzer, Town of New Gloucester;

Ashley O’Brien of Scarborough, Maine; College of the Holy Cross; junior compensation analyst, Judicial Branch, Administrative Office of the Courts;

Mary O’Flaherty of Orono, Maine; University of Maine; transportation planning intern, Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System;

Patrick Osborne of Biddeford, Maine; Emory University; environmental engineering assistant, Maine Department of Environmental Protection;

Anna Pellerin of Winslow, Maine; Clark University; Bureau of Rehabilitation Services intern, Department of Labor, Bureau of Rehabilitation Services;

Ella Pierce of Camden, Maine; Wellesley College; learning through technology data and media assistant, Maine Department of Education;

Jevaun Quinn of Gansevoort, New York; University of Maine School of Law; public advocate intern, Maine Office of the Public Advocate;

Erica Sanderson of Farmington, Maine; University of Maine at Farmington; accounts payable application assistant, Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Division of Financial and Personnel Services;

Piper Strunk of Cape Elizabeth, Maine; Bates College; innovative education assistant, Maine Department of Education;

Malcolm Svec of Old Town, Maine; University of Maine; intelligent transportation systems and traffic safety analyst, Maine Department of Transportation;

Elias Young of Redding, Connecticut; University of New England; environmental/ stormwater intern, Town of Windham.