Schaeffer Fellows managed and analyzed data instrumental in assessing how government services are utilized and potential areas for improving operations.
Matthew Aini
University of California, Berkeley
Internship: Metropolitan Transportation Commission in San Francisco, CA
“MTC gave me valuable projects during my summer there, including developing the Transit Priority Policy and analyzing ridership impacts of fare discounts. My policy research helped create a roadmap for regional transit speed improvements, while my quantitative analysis is now informing the expansion of Bay Area transit discount programs.”
Colin Duong
University of Southern California
Internship: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of State and Local Finance
“I analyzed relevant bills, read the financial statements of different subnational governments to collect research relevant data, and used various software to analyze the market for different financial securities. I also wrote a policy report for my main capstone project and on tax provisions and how they impact municipal bond dynamics.
I supported different policy advisors in their conversations with stakeholders, raising concern about anything I believed was inaccurate and provided analysis on the spot. Everyone I came across was incredibly generous and accommodating. I [met] about a dozen Deputy Assistant Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries, the Deputy Secretary, and the Secretary herself. The people in my office had years of experience in the financial industry and understand economics on such a deep level.”
Lucia Scalamandre
Princeton University
Internship: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
“My fellow intern and I designed a more efficient excel method to track over 300 security statements. With my supervisor, I ensured borrowers were in legal compliance through scanning multiple contracts. I also worked on improving their system for project reporting by reviewing the current guides for borrowers on navigating their project reporting system.”
