MEDIA RELASE: Maine DOE Welcomes 9 Interns for the Summer

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has welcomed nine new summer scholarship holders this year, who began work on May 31st. Fellows were selected for positions at the DOE of Maine by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Institute’s Maine government internship program at the University of Maine. During the summer, inmates will assist in day-to-day operations at the Maine DOE and gain professional experience and perspective. The DOE of Maine is delighted to welcome inmates along with their energy and ideas.

Alexa Bryant is a rising student at Middlebury College, specializing in political science and Chinese. She is originally from Parkland, Florida, but now lives in Hartland, Maine. As an intern on the communications team, Alexa is delighted to post content on Maine’s DOE channels this summer. When he’s out of the office, he likes to paddle and cook.

Erin Frankhauser is from Pittston, Maine. He currently has a dual majoring in criminology and psychology from St. Thomas University. After completing her degree, she hopes to attend graduate school with the long-term goal of becoming a social science researcher. As a computer science research assistant this summer, he will work with the Maine DOE Computer Specialist to develop and test a landscape study tool that will be used in the fall of 2022.

Grace Harvey He is a rising young man at Colby College in Old Town, Maine. He has a double degree in sociology and science, technology and society. After Colby, he hopes to continue in law school. This summer, Grace will be working on the Maine Opportunities for Online Sustained Education (MOOSE) team as an innovative education assistant and hopes to help create a more equitable learning option for students across the state.

Chase Holak is a graduate in business economics from the University of Maine Farmington. He is originally from Doylestown, Pennsylvania. This summer he will be working as a records and operations management intern, assisting with recruitment and ensuring that all Maine DOE records are organized.

Carrie Jeffrey is a student at George Washington University in Blue Hill, Maine. He has a double degree in political science and journalism and a specialty in graphic design. Outside of the office, he enjoys running, painting, and volunteering at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the Butterfly Museum, and the Insect Zoo. This summer, she will be on internship with the DOE as a Fellow of the Climate, Culture, and Resilience Team, and hopes to meet a wide variety of people and learn more about government processes.

Gus La Casse is from Trenton, Maine. He attended the University of Maine Orono for political science and environmental ethics. This summer, she will be working on a survey related to computer education in Maine schools as a research assistant in computer education.

Gat Merkle is a rising New Jersey senior studying environmental education and science at Colby College. She was excited to find this internship opportunity because her experience in the Colby Education Program has inspired her to pursue a career in education policy. In his spare time, he participates in Student Government, the latest frisbee, Colby Cares About Kids, a cappella, and loves playing music with his band. This summer, she is looking forward to meeting other internship students interested in education policy and learning more about the Multilevel Support Systems (MTSS) framework as a web and content development assistant for the MTSS framework.

Ella Pierce is from Camden, Maine. She is a rising student at Wellesley College, where she is studying political science and psychology on a pre-law course. This summer, she will be working with the Learning Through Technology team to create a Maine schools social media presence database and highlight exciting and innovative events in Maine schools as a Learning Through Technology Data and Media Assistant. .

Piper Strunk is a rising young man at Bates College. She has a degree in economics and education from Cape Elizabeth, Maine. This summer he will be working with the Office of Innovation as an Innovative Education Assistant, helping to improve existing MOOSE modules. She is thrilled to be a part of this program and hopes to help create meaningful and engaging educational content for all Maine students.