Undergraduate Programs Coordinator Jazmin Kent-Loera is continually impressed by the applicants to the Policy and Social Impact Fellows Program, and the most recent cohort was no exception.
“This year especially, there were so many wonderful applicants with relevant, community-engaged, policy experience and interests that it made for such a difficult decision-making process,” she said. “There were also very few applicants that I didn’t recognize as either being enrolled in our minors or having expressed interest in our public policy major… It’s great to see students who are looking for hands-on policy experience, whether through our courses or our experiential learning offerings, and they’re finding a home here in SPIA.”
Launched in October 2023, the Policy and Social Impact Fellows Program is open to all Pitt students who have a passion for public policy, community engagement, and social justice—regardless of their year or major. Fellows are divided into teams and paired with local organizations to engage in hands-on public service and policy work and receive personalized leadership training and mentorship, first-hand insight into the world of public policy, and a financial stipend of $1,500 to support their participation in the program. For the first time this year, students will also earn one academic credit upon the completion of all fellowship requirements.
Learn more and get to know a few of this year’s participants below:
Hunter Foster, A&S ’26
Hunter Foster is a senior majoring in English Literature and pursuing a certificate in Human Rights and Social Justice. He plans to attend law school after graduation, with a focus in international law and security, and hopes to work with organizations to mitigate the impact of conflict on protected populations and encourage post-conflict development. For now, he sees the Fellows Program as one more step along the path toward an eventual career in foreign diplomacy.
“I wanted to apply to the Fellows Program to get more experience working in public policy,” he shared. “It felt like a great opportunity to get hands-on experience doing community work as an undergrad. Even though I dream of working internationally, the skills I will learn from this kind of community engagement will be applicable in any environment and space I work in.”
Foster will work on a project supporting local nonprofit BikePGH, organizing volunteer events to track the accessibility and safety of sidewalks in different Pittsburgh neighborhoods. The team’s goal is to create and document a smooth volunteer process so the organization can host other volunteer events with efficiency in the future.
“My advice to other students is to get involved,” Foster said. “I learn best through hands-on work and seeing action from the ground up. It is one thing to learn it in a classroom, but another to really use those skills in the field.”
Isabella Lee, A&S ’29
First-year Pitt student Isabella Lee developed her passion for policy and community impact in high school while volunteering for Horizons for Homeless Children, an organization that provides state-of-the-art daycare and preschool to homeless children and offers counseling and assistance to parents seeking education and employment. Lee met Kent-Lorea during a visit to campus for Admitted Students’ Day, a conversation that would make a significant impact on her trajectory here at Pitt.
“She explained the mission of the Policy and Social Impact Fellows cohort to me, and I knew right away that I needed to apply,” she said.
In addition to the Fellows Program, Lee will officially declare her major in Pitt’s new Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy in her junior year and plans to stay in the School of Public and International Affairs for her Master’s degree as part of the University’s 4+1 Program.
Lee and her peers are working with Just Harvest, a nonprofit organization committed to addressing food insecurity and hunger within the Pittsburgh community through public policy, increasing food access, and building community power. The group will focus on the newly enacted time limits on federal Supplemental Nutrition Access Program (SNAP) benefits.
“My goals have always been to connect vision with action,” she said. “I want to pave a path for community members to be able to voice their concerns and needs to local policymakers.”
Catherine Shea, GCS ’26
Born and raised in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, senior Catherine Shea is dedicated to giving back to the Commonwealth through a career in public service. She is pursuing a major in Law, Criminal Justice, and Society, a minor in Political Science, and is active in the leadership of multiple campus organizations.
Shea says she decided to apply to the Fellows Program to complement her coursework and engage more deeply with the Pittsburgh community. Her team will partner with Grow Pittsburgh throughout the year to construct policy recommendations related to urban agriculture and the utilization of vacant land.
“This opportunity will allow me to expand skills related to developing public policy and better understand the needs of community members in agriculture policy,” she shared. “I hope to engage with the public in my future legal career and feel the skills developed in the Fellows Program will make me a better future legal advocate.”
Undergraduate students interested in joining the Fellows Program for the 2026-2027 academic year should look for the application to be released later next spring. Contact Undergraduate Programs Coordinator Jazmin Kent-Loera at JAK512@pitt.edu with any questions about this program or to learn about opportunities for undergraduate students to get involved at SPIA through our classes, minors, or major.