BA in Anthropology

Rachel Kenderdine

Rachel interned at the U.S. Department of Education, in the Office of State Support. There, she analyzed education policy briefs from prominent think thanks, examined state data for Title I schools and staffed the Negotiated Rulemaking sessions for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

My internship at the Department of Education was an amazing opportunity to put the skills I had been developing for the last four years—research, writing, and analysis—to use in a professional, real-world environment. I was fortunate enough to be at the Department of Education as they worked on regulations surrounding the new education law, called the Every Student Succeeds Act. It was eye opening to see the government at work on an issue I am passionate about, and I definitely got to see the value of social science skills in the workplace; relating to people and understanding how to effectively analyze writings and data are crucial in almost any field! This internship reinforced my career goal of becoming an applied anthropologist, one who uses their knowledge to affect change in the world through government or non-profit work.