Meet CUNY ISLG’s 2025 Public Policy Pathways Interns
By Nathalie Lebròn, Senior Policy Associate
Coming from across CUNY campuses, disciplines, and degree programs, this cohort of interns will work hands-on with research, policy, data science, and operations teams, as well as participate in discussions with subject matter experts across a number of pressing issue areas.
The City University of New York (CUNY) is one of the largest, most diverse university systems in the country. Students come from as many different neighborhoods and backgrounds in the city it serves. This accessibility has made it into an engine for social mobility, no matter where you come from: over 60 percent of students are the first in their families to attend college, and nearly half come from households earning less than $30,000 a year.
As a research and policy organization embedded within CUNY, the Institute for State & Local Governance (ISLG) is proud to announce the launch of the third cohort of the Public Policy Pathways Internship (PPPI). This paid summer program provides CUNY undergraduate and graduate students from across campuses, disciplines, and degree programs with hands-on experience working in the public sector, from state and local governments to community-based organizations. They do so by working alongside CUNY ISLG’s research, policy, data science, legal, and operations teams on projects that impact communities across New York City and beyond.
This paid summer program provides CUNY undergraduate and graduate students from across campuses, disciplines, and degree programs with hands-on experience working in the public sector, from state and local governments to community-based organizations.
They do so by working alongside CUNY ISLG’s research, policy, data science, legal, and operations teams on projects that impact communities across New York City and beyond.
The PPPI program is designed to give CUNY students an opportunity to explore potential career paths, build and strengthen their soft and hard skills, and gain valuable insight into how public systems function, all while being compensated for their time and contributions. The program offers weekly in-person convenings led by CUNY ISLG staff on topics such as community engagement, participatory research, the policymaking process, and the role of data and operations in public service.
Interns also gain vital workplace skills such as project management, resume and cover letter development, networking, and workplace relationship management. At the end of the summer, interns earn a microcredential in which they can share on their resume, LinkedIn, or other platforms.
“As a first-generation college graduate and proud CUNY alum. Like many CUNY students, I faced real challenges: limited access to networks, gaps in information, and uncertainty about how to break into the workforce after graduation. But thanks to the support of dedicated professors and staff at CUNY Career Centers, I was connected to paid internships that not only exposed me to the human services field but also helped me gain skills and knowledge related to the field. Those opportunities opened doors and shaped the path I’m on today,” said Nathalie Lebròn, Senior Policy Associate and manager of the PPPI.
“My story is just one of many that show how mentorship and access to opportunities can truly change the trajectory of a student’s life. That’s why it’s such an honor to now manage this paid internship program, thoughtfully designed to introduce CUNY students to meaningful careers in the nonprofit and government sectors.”
“My story is just one of many that show how mentorship and access to opportunities can truly change the trajectory of a student’s life. That’s why it’s such an honor to now manage this paid internship program, thoughtfully designed to introduce CUNY students to meaningful careers in the nonprofit and government sectors.”
- Nathalie Lebròn, Senior Policy Associate
Policy
The 2025 Policy interns will support several community-based programs across New York City. This includes developing public materials, attending community meetings, and providing administrative support for the Public Policy Incubation Project, Community-Based Restorative Justice Program, and the Kriegel and Lindsay Public Service Fellowships and the Civic Engagement Fellowship.
The 2025 Research interns are:
Micah Gagarin is a rising sophomore at CUNY Hunter College, majoring in Political Science. He is a Hispanic Scholarship Fund Designee, Care for the Future Fellow, and member of Hunter’s Roosevelt Scholars honors cohort. He is currently interning as a constituent services liaison with New York City Council Member Tiffany Cabán, working to help solve local issues and acting as a bridge between constituents and municipal agencies. He is expected to graduate in December of 2027, and plans to pursue a career in law or social work after obtaining his Bachelor’s along with more work experience.
Paulina Lisowski is a student at Baruch College, pursuing a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Economics, expecting graduation in 2027. Paulina is passionate about policy in New York City and globally, with a focus on how the intersections of policy and global markets shape political systems and impact citizen welfare. Paulina has previously interned with Congress Moman Grace Meng’s District Office, where she supported constituent outreach and policy research. She also worked at a political fundraising and strategy firm, gaining hands-on experience in campaign finance and advocacy. Currently, she works with several nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing civic engagement, global education, and anti-poverty efforts. She is driven by a commitment to public service and a desire to help create equitable, informed, and resilient communities.
Reandra Romain is a rising sophomore at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, pursuing a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Community Justice. She is expected to graduate in May 2028. Reandra is dedicated to uplifting marginalized voices, advocating for youth, and advancing social justice. Her passion for creating meaningful change has driven her interest in law and public policy. Reandra has participated in programs with YVote, a youth-led nonprofit where she collaborated with NYC youth to increase civic engagement and youth voter turnout. Reandra has also contributed to initiatives aimed at expanding support and funding for Advanced Placement and college-readiness courses in New York State high schools. For her efforts, she received the Office of the New York State Comptroller Achievement Award.
Ruksana Ruhee is a dedicated organizer, researcher, and student at Baruch College, where she is pursuing a Master's in Public and International Affairs. A Bengali, working-class Muslim from Queens, Ruksana is passionate about fostering youth-led change. She actively works to address systemic challenges impacting her community, including economic insecurity, inadequate mental health resources, school pushout, gun violence, and gender-based and racialized violence by authorities and various institutions. Her advocacy spans multiple disciplines, including grassroots organizing, storytelling, and healing justice through restorative circles.
She has collaborated with Girls for Gender Equity, Youth Over Guns, Advocates for Youth, and the Sadie Nash Leadership Program. As part of the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI)Youth Research Council, she co-authored a national policy brief uplifting AANHPI youth leadership. She has also spoken has spoken at rallies, roundtables, and legislative hearings, and helped raise funds for youth-led research. As a grantmaker with Just Beginnings Collaborative and Children’s Rights, she supported youth-defined safe spaces. She also led Streets Safe, Girls Dominate, a self-defense workshop for Black and Brown girls.
Research
The 2025 cohort of Research interns will provide hands-on support for several criminal legal reform-related research projects nationwide. Interns will assist the Safety + Justice Challenge team by providing data management and synthesizing literature. Additionally, they will support several other projects, such as the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) and BJA Smart Supervision Project, by attending partner meetings and developing accessible materials tailored to different audiences.
The 2025 Policy interns are:
Abram Rodriguez recently graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Sociology and departmental honors from Lehman College, with minors in Human Rights & Peace Studies and General Psychology. He is pursuing a career at the intersection of public policy, equity, and economic analysis. His experience includes conducting an award-winning literature review on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), serving as an undergraduate teaching assistant, and working in nonprofit consulting and business management.
Ambrosia Beckford is a Community Research Associate for the Hate Crimes project at ISLG. Ambrosia has worked at the NYU School of Global Public Health as an R.A.R.E Intern conducting qualitative analysis for Natural Hazards and Disaster Resilience amongst the aging population. She also interned with SUNY Downstate Medical Center through the SPRINTER program leveraging both qualitative and quantitative analysis for Comorbidities of COVID-19 death rates and social determinants of health. Ambrosia holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, a Bachelor of Art in Anthropology from Brooklyn College and is presently pursuing her Master of Public Health from the CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy.
Juan Carlos Melendez Torres is working on two projects as a research intern at ISLG: the Safety and Justice Challenge and the recently-launched Mecklenburg County Crime Trends analysis. Most recently, he worked as a Royalty Analyst at Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the non-profit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, where, among other initiatives, he led the artist and estate research for an archival release that earned two GRAMMY nominations. He has also worked as a digital forensics investigator at the Bronx Defenders, a pioneering holistic public defense firm in the South Bronx. He holds a BA in International Studies and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, he completed four years of doctoral work in ethnomusicology at Cornell University, where he primarily examined carceral soundscapes as well as the intersection of copyright protections and economic development in francophone West Africa. He is currently pursuing an MS in Statistics at Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business.
Mary Ononye is a graduate student at Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business, where she is pursuing a Master’s in Business Analytics with a concentration in Data Analytics. She is expected to graduate in May 2026. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics, and her academic interests lie at the intersection of data, policy, and social equity, with a focus on using data to inform meaningful, real-world change. Before joining ISLG, Mary served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for two undergraduate courses. She has also contributed to nonprofit initiatives centered on gender equity, education, and economic opportunity in Africa.
Mary is passionate about leveraging data to shape policies that are just, inclusive, and grounded in evidence. She is focused on building a career in data analysis, particularly within NGOs and public sector initiatives that address inequality and improve community outcomes.
Steven Lee is a summer research intern and supports ISLG's work with the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) and Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC). Previously, he worked for 3 years in sales operations before making a career switch into public interest and research. Steven holds a bachelor's degree in Finance from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He is currently pursuing an MS in Statistics at CUNY Baruch College and is expected to graduate in May 2026.
Data Science
The 2025 Data Science intern will work towards meeting the data needs of the Safety + Justice Challenge project. Support includes assessing data quality, conducting diagnostics, and creating data visualizations that effectively communicate project findings.
2025 Data Science intern is:
Muhammad Sarim Asrar recently completed his Master’s in data science from The City College of New York, where he focused on the intersection of AI, policy, and public systems. Prior to this, he earned his Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from NUST and was awarded the Rector’s Gold Medal for his final year project. Sarim previously interned at KPMG Australia, working with large-scale customer and transactional data for analytical insights. He has also worked with RFCUNY’s J. Max Bond Center on AI-driven data workflows for environmental planning. At ISLG, he will support the Safety and Justice Challenge by developing and applying data processing pipelines to evaluate and standardize criminal legal datasets. Sarim is passionate about building transparent, ethical, and scalable AI tools that contribute to better decision-making in public policy.
Operations
The 2024 Operations interns will work on a number of operational and budgetary projects. This includes policy research, data analysis, budget analysis, and stakeholder research and engagement for various Municipality Budget and Policy Projects across the country and the CUNY Efficiencies for Re-Investment & Innovation (ERI) Initiative in New York City.
The 2025 Operations intern is:
Naheema Olatidoye is a rising sophomore at the Macaulay Honors College at the City College of New York, majoring in Psychology and planning to graduate in 2028. She aims to raise awareness about educational disparities and their connection to imprisonment, focusing on reformative policy and a future law career. Previously, she has worked with the Department of Education (DOE) and the Justice Resource Center in researching and presenting her findings on how the NYPD's 'Stop & Frisk' Policy worsened community relations, namely, relations between police officers and young Black and Latino men. For a year, she served on the New Vision for Public Schools' Student Advisory Network, collaborating with the organization on research for projects designed to enhance student engagement and foster student-staff relations in public and charter schools across New York City. Furthermore, she has extensive experience working in the legal field, having clerked under the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Margo K. Brodie, during the Sonia and Celina Sotomayor Judicial Internship Program, as well as interning at a law firm. Currently, she's been selected for the Moynihan Undergraduate Fellowship dedicated to public service and participates in her school's undergraduate student government and newspaper.
Legal
The 2025 Law Intern will collaborate with various teams to provide support on projects across ISLG—projects include restorative justice, gender-based violence, as well as education and leadership fellowships. Support will range from drafting legal documents and reviewing project-specific materials.
Carlos Hernández is a fourth-year law student at CUNY School of Law. He holds two bachelor's degrees, most recently a BS in Law and Paralegal Studies, and was awarded summa cum laude from CUNY's NYC College of Technology. He currently serves as a paralegal with Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, a public defender's office serving the Harlem community.
Carlos is committed to creating opportunities for underrepresented communities through public policy advocacy and reform. He believes that legal education and financial literacy are essential tools for fostering economic mobility and expanding political representation. Drawing on his deep community ties, Carlos transitioned from a successful accounting career to pursue his legal education, driven by his commitment to serving his South Bronx community.
His professional experience bridges both private sector expertise and public interest advocacy, positioning him to contribute meaningfully to policy initiatives that address systemic inequities and promote community empowerment