This summer, Hanna Cha worked at ) as a Systems and Child Advocacy Center (CAC) intern. As a Systems intern, she joined SASSMM’s Systems team in courts to provide emotional support to clients filing for Protection from Abuse or Harassment orders. With the CAC, Hanna interviewed staff employed under the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault about how non-offending caregivers support their children. In addition, Hanna worked on a Resource Guide webpage for advocates and updated informational CAC handouts. She also spent the summer supporting the 24/7 Statewide Helpline as a trained advocate.
“Working with SASSMM has deepened my appreciation for and commitment to nonprofit work. The staff were not only incredibly dedicated to their work but clearly had a genuine passion for advocating for their clients. As my summer concludes, I hope to follow their example by listening to communities and drawing inspiration from their stories to drive meaningful change.”
Elizabeth Gill, ’25
This summer Elizabeth interned with ), and in their medically monitored detox program. Along with the outreach workers and medical providers on the HOME Team, Elizabeth helped fill the gaps in the care system for individuals battling substance use disorders and/or homelessness in Portland, ME. As a detox attendant, Elizabeth conducted intake screenings while providing compassionate care and support to Mainers on their recovery journeys.
“I feel incredibly grateful to have had the privilege of working with Milestone Recovery this summer. This was a transformative experience that expanded my world view and fostered my growth as a person. The stories I was told, lessons I learned, and people I met will remain close to my heart, guiding me through all of my future endeavors!”
Karen Gonzalez, ’25
This summer Karen interned with the Advocacy Team at , a non-profit organization located in Portland, Maine. The advocacy team aims to uphold Preble Street’s mission by systemically addressing homelessness and food insecurity. During her summer, Karen participated in various projects including researching the impact of recent state legislation and Supreme Court decisions on low barrier shelters; promoting SNAP education by updating presentations to reflect current statistics and available benefits; and engaging in outreach by distributing meals and visiting clients. However, her main project was collaborating with the Health Services Team (Learning Collaborative) to build upon the findings from the HOPE project, a MeHAF Grant-Funded Healthcare study from 2022. The project consisted of creating a survey that analyzed how individuals that engage in substance use experience access to clinical services. By identifying barriers, the advocacy team and Learning Collaborative hope to propose recommendations that address these gaps.
“My time at Preble Steet has impacted me in both a personal and professional level. Prior to this summer, I knew that I wanted to enter a career in the public health field, but I was unsure of what that meant. Through my experience collaborating with the advocacy team and Learning Collaborative, I have learnt about the importance of empowering our communities and working alongside them to create long lasting solutions. Through this experience I have gained a lot of clarity in my interests in outreach, research, legislative advocacy, and systemic change.”
Frances Hornbostel, ’25
This summer, Frances developed resources for the ) and on digital literacy, good practices for digital safety for both teenagers and adults alike, and research to support future approaches to Artificial Intelligence. She trained to volunteer on the helpline as an advocate for SASSMM and helped out with community building events like block parties and neighborhood lunch programs for the PHA. For SASSMM, a survivor golf tournament, pride tabling, and prevention education meetings, workshops, and lessons in schools around midcoast Maine. Lastly, she delivered a presentation on her research for the PHA to the directors of their three study centers.
“At the PHA and at SASSMM, everyone deeply and sincerely believes in the work that they are doing, and so they apply patience, persistence, and empathy to every interaction. I learned from two influential direct supervisors and many others the importance of the resultant lightness and care when this belief shows up for crisis work, and how much collaboration and support is needed for action in slow, long-term community and social work.”
Isabella Huang, ’25
During her 10-week internship with Isabella conducted five 3-hour Mandarin intake clinics and managed 22 individual cases, mainly working with low-income Asian clients who speak little to no English. Her tasks included conducting initial intakes, client follow-ups, screenings, discussing and relaying appropriate legal advice, making referral calls, filing for immigration relief, and applying for benefits. She also worked on major projects addressing the impact of targeted police raids and high deportation rates among Southeast Asians, reviewing over 2,000 pages of client immigration history to support future relief efforts.
“Legal work is essentially human work, but to truly work with someone, one must go beyond the legal framework. Sometimes I help my clients understand their legal issues, their rights, and the next steps ahead, but more often, I simply advocate for them, calling their landlords, their banks, the social security office, as most of their hardship originates from linguistic and cultural barriers, exacerbated by injustice and systematic racism. And sometimes, all I could do is to just sit there and listen, occasionally affirming them in their mother tongue.”
Fatima Kunjo, ’25
Fatima Kunjo continued her work from last summer , conducting research on strategies for preserving wealth within Black families, with a focus on homeownership as a key pathway to building generational wealth. Collaborating with a housing counselor, she explored resources related to succession planning and securing inheritance for future generations. Additionally, she utilized ArcGIS to analyze Seattle zip codes, connecting housing strategies to broader environmental and social equity issues.
“This summer deepened my understanding of the critical role homeownership plays in preserving generational wealth within Black families. I learned new housing terminology, such as Power of Attorney, Escheatment, and more, which enhanced my ability to navigate complex legal and financial topics essential for preserving generational wealth. Understanding these terms gave me a deeper insight into the legal frameworks that protect assets and ensure their transfer to future generations. This knowledge, combined with my focus on environmental justice, highlighted how securing homeownership and wealth preservation can shield vulnerable communities from displacement and environmental inequities, ensuring that they have the resources to thrive in healthy, sustainable environments.”
Brian Liu, ’25
Brian worked as a Data Science Fellow in the , specifically in the Innovation and Technology team to lead research on evictions in Boston. With all eviction court cases in Boston publicly accessible, there exists rich information for analysis. However, it is hard to understand trends and characteristics without a centralized place to view and analyze them all. Brian worked on creating a database for evictions, a cleaning pipeline, and a website to unpack eviction characteristics and trends. He also sat in housing court and worked with legal workers to understand on-the-ground challenges and needs.
“My work will be utilized not only as an exploratory dashboard for anyone interested in evictions in Boston, but also by departments such as the Office of Housing Stability for identifying new court events for outreach and Policy Development and Research for identifying and predicting trends in evictions. I was able to bring my experience with programming and intersect that with outreach public-facing workers to create technology-based tools that would be useful for improving understanding of housing dynamics.”
Ryan Ngo, ’25
The is a healthcare network that connects hundreds of nonprofit organizations across the state of Maine to ensure low income pediatric populations have access to basic dental care at reduced or no cost. The work was centered around creating a storyboard built from interviews with patients at Mainely Teeth, a free dental clinic. These stories would center around their experiences navigating the complexities of obtaining oral care while having MaineCare, which is not covered by most practitioners in a state where there is already a provider shortage. This would inform statewide policy reform efforts.
“This experience has ingrained a new aspiration of mine to work in community dentistry. I have always been attracted to the freedom and creative expression this field has had to offer and now I want to use that skillset to help uninsured populations. I now understand the importance of soft skills in a field so overly focused on practical skills and how that can impact treatment outcomes in larger underserved populations.”
Eleina Sturk, ’25
This Summer, Eleina worked with ) to support seaweed aquaculture research in Maine. MSE aims to support seaweed farmers in creating a healthy, safe product while simultaneously asserting mindfulness about the best practices to minimize negative environmental impact. Eleina assisted with ongoing research projects, such as the use of seaweed as feed for other products in the aquaculture industry, by building and maintaining equipment, conducting online research, and translating scientific journals.
“This experience was an amazing opportunity to understand the world of seaweed, from the seeding of the lines to the business that keeps the industry afloat. It encouraged me to think about the limitations and potentials within the industry and what steps people can take to advocate for its growth in communities. I am so thankful to MSE for allowing me to help with their operation and teaching me so much about aquaculture and beyond.”
Ciara Tran, ’24
Summer intern for the . Attended community outreach events and prepared outreach materials to share information about Maine Won't Wait (Maine's climate action plan) and better understand community interests related to climate. Attended and helped prepare for the Maine Climate Council's June meeting. Contributed to the development of Maine's second Climate Action Plan, especially progress metrics and ways to further develop the role of the Climate Council's youth representatives. Researched climate policy and assisted with developing ideas for a Maine Youth Climate Action Summit.
“I had an incredibly engaging and rewarding summer at GOPIF. I learned so much about climate policy and engagement, and it was a fascinating look into state government and how long-term policy solutions get developed. Spending the summer at GOPIF has helped me solidify and further explore an interest in environmental law and policy, and I'm excited to connect what I've learned this summer to my future coursework and career.”