MDRC is pleased to welcome two new interns, Francis Estrada and Ismerlyn Gonzalez, who will be joining us (remotely!) this summer. The internships are supported by the Judith Gueron Scholars Program, which is designed to introduce students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the education and social policy research communities to MDRC.

Francis is a rising senior at Baruch College, majoring in economics with a minor in law and policy. At MDRC, Francis is learning about how high schools approach preparing students for college and careers. Prior to joining MDRC, Francis worked with the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies conducting surveys, analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, and doing legislative research on the New York Health Act and the Home Stability Support Initiative. She is passionate about educational access for low-income students and how local education funding becomes a barrier for low-income districts. She plans to pursue her a PhD in economics or public policy. Francis was born in Tela, Honduras, and now lives in the South Bronx.

Ismerlyn is a senior at Hunter College, majoring in sociology with a minor in public policy. She will spend her summer learning about MDRC’s postsecondary education work and its research methods. As a research assistant on a sociology project in college, she has conducted qualitative and quantitative data analysis to help understand schooling choices. At Hunter, Ismerlyn also coaches incoming freshmen as a Scholar Peer Leader. While growing up in Harlem, Ismerlyn became quickly aware of the racial and socioeconomic disparities present in New York City’s education system. She is interested in pursuing a master’s degree in public policy to address inequities in education policy.

MDRC interns participate in the intellectual life of MDRC by attending seminars and project meetings and by attending trainings to develop specific skills and knowledge areas. At the end of the eight-week program, interns also have an opportunity to give a presentation on their summer experience at MDRC.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MDRC has unfortunately had to suspend its master’s-level operations internship and doctoral fellowship this summer. We look forward to resuming them in 2021.