Internships

The Public Policy Leadership program is enriched by internships that give future leaders and changemakers hands-on experience to supplement classroom learning.

Students put principles into practice working in rigorous internship roles in Mississippi; Washington, DC; and across the country. Some opt for programs that originate within the University, and others find internships in key state and local agencies and nonprofits.

As part of the PPL and Lott Institute communities, our students are tied into a supportive web of professors, visiting professors, and alumni who mentor and advise them as they explore avenues that will lead to future careers.

In previous years, PPL students have worked on a diverse range of projects that include public-private partnerships with industry, the justice system, healthcare, the environment, and other issues at the fore of U.S. society. As interns, our students have a front seat to the inner workings of government and policy at the state and federal levels.

They’ve found placements across the nation with think tanks, and influential nonprofits, as well as on Capitol Hill, and in Jackson, home to the state legislature.

The program ensures that students are placed in internships that reflect their career aspirations by connecting them with opportunities suited to their goals. Working individually with students—and assisting them with resumes and personal statements—PPL and the Trent Lott Institute reach out to an extended network of alumni and friends, so that the program can direct students to the internships that will be the most beneficial to them.

PPL students have also interned in the Lott Institute’s Mississippi-based social justice and education projects in the Mississippi Delta and other underserved areas.

Forms for interns: Waiver | Internship Agreement Form | Internship Evaluation