Delivering public service in action
Revamped Article:
Salomé Otero '23 ain't pulling any punches when it comes to discussing her social impact internship in 2022. "It was a game-changer for me," she declares.
A management and education major, Otero was unsure of her career path after MIT until a life-altering opportunity knocking on her door, courtesy of the Priscilla King Gray Public Service Center (PKG Center). This iconic hub introduced her to The Last Mile, a forward-thinking San Francisco-based nonprofit that equips justice-impacted individuals with education and tech skills.
Billowing with optimism, Otero snatched this opportunity for a web curriculum and re-entry internship between her junior and senior year. The experience proudly left an indelible mark on her career plans. "You'll hear stories from people who were locked up before the iPhone even made its debut. Now they're full-blown software developers!" she gushes. "I've always been drawn to using computer science for good purposes, and this internship seared that intention right into my soul."
Eager to continue her activism, upon returning to campus Otero dove headfirst into two MIT education labs, took on a social impact internship with G{Code} during the Independent Activities Period (IAP), and ultimately decided to pursue a doctorate in education policy. "Let me be clear about one thing—I wouldn't be chasing a PhD in education policy right now without the PKG Center," she asserts. She begins her studies this fall.
Jill Bassett, associate dean and director of the PKG Center, isn't exactly shocked by Otero's trajectory. "MIT students are obsessed with tackling the world's most challenging problems," she acknowledges. "Social impact internships give them the chance to leverage their unique powers and help create meaningful change, expand their horizons, and uncover potential career paths."
Dubbed "There's More Out There"
Founded a whopping 35 years ago, the PKG Center boasts an extensive array of experiential learning programs that tackle four major themes: climate change, health equity, racial justice, and tech for social good. The Center's marquee "Social Impact Internship Program" finances internships for students eager to work alongside government agencies, nonprofits, and social ventures. Students reap many financial rewards from such experiences, including learning how to initiate change, shaping their academic and professional journeys, and bolstering their professional skills.
Juliet Liao '23, a graduate of MIT's Naval ROTC program, was commissioned as a submarine officer in June. She seized her social impact opportunity by researching greenhouse gas emissions in the salmon industry during a summer-long stint with the World Wildlife Fund. "I hadn't previously experienced much of the non-military world, so I was curious about what I wanted to do and what I might be interested in," she reveals. "I really appreciated the scientific approach to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions."
Amina Abdalla, a budding junior in biological engineering, arrived at MIT with a strong passion for healthcare and dreams of attending medical school. However, her summer internship at MassHealth, the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program provider for Massachusetts, humbled Abdalla by highlighting the intricate nature of the healthcare system and introducing her to a bevy of career paths she hadn't considered.
"I attended coffee sessions with various MassHealth personnel, including doctors, lawyers, policy advocates, and consultants," Abdalla admits. "I left with a new appreciation for the myriad options I could pursue with my degree and the knowledge I'd gained." As a result of her newfound inspiration, Abdalla enrolled in a health policy class before graduating. "I'm still set on attending medical school, but if I can make a difference with a career in the public sector, sign me up!"
Socially Conscious Skill Building
Organizations collaborating with the PKG Center are often strapped for funds and resources. The PKG Center-funded internships therefore expand their organizational capacities, broadening their scope and impact. MIT students, with their diverse range of skills and eagerness, often tackle projects that might never have been completed otherwise, delivering fresh ideas and enthusiasm to organizations in the process.
Emily Moberg '11, PhD '16 connected with the social impact internship programs in 2020. Now director of Scope 3 Carbon Measurement and Mitigation at the World Wildlife Fund, Moberg has worked with 20 MIT students since then, including Liao. The work produced by these students has culminated in a series of briefs on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from key commodities, including soy, beef, coffee, and palm oil.
"MIT social impact interns bring ingenuity, curiosity, and determination," Moberg brags. "Working with students hailing from various majors like computer and materials science allows us to tackle problems from fresh angles and often employ sophisticated quantitative analysis. These bright, ambitious kids often help us brainstorm new ideas or expand on existing projects."
Anne Carrington Hayes, associate professor and executive director of the Global Leadership and Interdisciplinary Studies program at Bennett College, dubs the MIT interns she's collaborated with "superstars." The work carried out by various students has collectively culminated in a draft climate action plan to guide future campus renovations and improvements at Bennett College.
"They've been pivotal in helping me conduct research, frame issues, gather data, and engage with students and our community regarding environmental justice and sustainability, particularly from the perspective of women of color at Bennett College," Hayes explains.
Striking a Balance
The social impact internship program at the PKG Center has experienced incredible growth in recent years. Before the pandemic, the program catered to five students from summer 2019 to spring 2020; it now annually serves around 125 students. Funding, however, has become a pressing concern, with summer 2022 demand for internships three times higher than the number of available internships, and IAP 2023 demand five times the supply.
"MIT students have no shortage of opportunities in the private sector, yet they're clamoring for social impact internships because they want to apply their skills to causes they care about," says Julie Uva, the PKG Center's program administrator for social impact internships and employment. "We need to make sure every student who desires a social impact internship can secure that experience."
MIT has acknowledged this monetary shortage, with the Task Force 2021 report advocating for fundraising to alleviate the under-supply of social impact experiential learning opportunities (ELOs). Similarly, MIT's Fast Forward Climate Action Plan urged the Institute to offer climate or clean-energy ELOs to every undergraduate seeking such opportunities.
In response, the Office of Experiential Learning is teaming up with Resource Development to raise additional funding to finance many more opportunities that would extend beyond the PKG Center to other offices and programs like MIT D-Lab, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Programs, MISTI, and the Environmental Solutions Initiative, among others.
This news brings a smile to Salomé Otero's face. Familiar with MIT's fundraising endeavors through her stint as a Tech Caller, Otero, the alumna and former social impact intern, understands the transformative power of philanthropy.
"MIT is in a league of its own compared to numerous universities, in so many aspects," she enthuses. "But if they want to continue making a significant, far-reaching impact, investing in programs like the PKG Center—programs that empower students to drive meaningful change—is where it's at. So when the time comes, I'll tell that night-shift volunteer, 'Sure, I'll contribute to the PKG Center.'"
- Salomé Otero '23 attributes a career-defining moment to her social impact internship in 2022, noting it as a game-changer.
- Otero, a management and education major, was introduced to The Last Mile by the Priscilla King Gray Public Service Center (PKG Center).
- Otero seized an opportunity for a web curriculum and re-entry internship with The Last Mile between her junior and senior year.
- Through her internship, Otero met justice-impacted individuals who were now full-blown software developers, reinforcing her passion for using computer science for good purposes.
- After returning to MIT, Otero delved into two MIT education labs, took on a social impact internship with G{Code} during the Independent Activities Period (IAP), and decided to pursue a doctorate in education policy.
- Jill Bassett, associate dean and director of the PKG Center, acknowledges MIT students' desire to tackle the world's most challenging problems.
- The PKG Center offers an array of experiential learning programs tackling climate change, health equity, racial justice, and tech for social good, among others.
- The Center's signature Social Impact Internship Program finances internships for students eager to work alongside government agencies, nonprofits, and social ventures.
- Juliet Liao '23, a Naval ROTC graduate, researched greenhouse gas emissions in the salmon industry during a summer-long stint with the World Wildlife Fund.
- Amina Abdalla, a junior in biological engineering, interned at MassHealth and was introduced to various career paths she hadn't considered, leading her to enroll in a health policy class.
- Organizations collaborating with the PKG Center often have limited funds and resources, so PKG Center-funded internships expand their organizational capacities.
- Emily Moberg '11, PhD '16, director of Scope 3 Carbon Measurement and Mitigation at the World Wildlife Fund, has worked with MIT students on a series of briefs on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
- Anne Carrington Hayes, associate professor and executive director of the Global Leadership and Interdisciplinary Studies program at Bennett College, collaborates with MIT interns on a draft climate action plan to guide campus renovations and improvements at Bennett College.
- The social impact internship program at the PKG Center has grown in recent years, now serving around 125 students annually, but funding has become a pressing concern with growing demand.
- MIT's Task Force 2021 report and Fast Forward Climate Action Plan call for fundraising to alleviate the under-supply of social impact experiential learning opportunities (ELOs).
- In response, the Office of Experiential Learning is teaming up with Resource Development to raise additional funding to finance many more opportunities for programs like the PKG Center, MIT D-Lab, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Programs, MISTI, and the Environmental Solutions Initiative.
