SHECP Launches Alumni Engagement Committee to give alumni the chance to support future interns and programming During her 2026 Welcome Address, Dr. Jill Waity told incoming students that “It is not an exaggeration to say that taking that course (POV101 at Washington and Lee) and being involved in the Shepherd Program changed my career trajectory.” Later in the summer, students heard SHECP alumnus David Marchese explain, "This internship and this alumni network you are about to join shaped my...

World Refugee Day is June 20 — a fact I did not know until my first day at my SHECP internship. By Kalvin Larson, 2026 SHECP Intern with New Arrivals Institute On my first day, my supervisor pulled me into her office to go over the basics. I would be starting my day at 9 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m., but she added that I should really consider coming in on Saturday for World Refugee Day. At the time, I was not sure what she meant, but I was excited for the novel experience. When Saturday morning...

The 2026 SHECP Annual Conference will be held July 30 – August 1 on the campus of Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. The annual event is designed to place the individual experiences of the SHECP interns into broader anti-poverty policy, research and organizational efforts, and to situate it within their undergraduate education. The conference also provides professional development opportunities for the staff and faculty of member institutions and community partners. Events on...