The Rockefeller Center Recognizes its First-Year Fellows Mentors

With this ongoing series, The Rockefeller Center recognizes the valuable contributions provided by its alumni mentors to participants in the First-Year Fellows program.

The First-Year Fellows Program provides students with opportunities to meaningfully engage in public policy early in their Dartmouth career. Approximately twenty students who have successfully completed the introductory public policy and a research methods course are selected each year as First-Year Fellows. First-Year Fellows are placed in fellowships with Dartmouth alumni in Washington, DC, serving in policy positions where the supervisor is willing to take on a significant mentor role.

The diverse alumni mentors allow a wide range of experience for First-Year Fellows. Examples of placements include performing legal research with a judge of the District of Columbia Superior Court, conducting policy research for the Congressional Research Service, assisting in the Smithsonian Institution's Office of policy analysis, analyzing data with the U.S. Census Bureau, and working in the office of Senator Kirstin Gillibrand. In addition to performing a broad range of tasks, Fellows also participate in the Civic Skills Training prior to beginning their fellowship. This intensive, five-day program is an important advantage for these students, providing them with training in public speaking, networking, writing press releases and policy briefs, networking, and project management.

This Summer's Fellows represent broad degree of interests and positions. Coming from the Dartmouth Class of 2017, these students are just beginning their placements with their alumni mentors. These mentors are an integral part of a successful fellowship program.