Policy and Social Impact

Careers in Policy and Social Impact welcomes all students who are interested in making an impact on the world through internships and beyond graduation. Students pursue careers in a broad range of fields including think tanks, local and federal government, global health, human rights as well as with the quickly evolving sectors in sustainability, corporate social responsibility, impact and non-profit consulting, and economic development. For all these areas, program advisers offer guidance and industry expertise to help students identify public policy and service opportunities best suited to their skills and interests.

Stay Connected

Careers in Policy and Social Impact provides several ways for you to stay in touch and to learn about opportunities and activities in policy and social impact. Our newsletters include:

  • Careers in Policy and Social Impact. A weekly newsletter about the opt-in Fried Public Policy and Service Program cohort and a second weekly newsletter on internships and jobs in policy and social impact.

  • UChicago Climate and Energy Careers. A weekly newsletter on experiential education, internships, and jobs in sustainability and the environment.

  • Global Health and Health Policy. A weekly newsletter with all of Career Advancement’s opportunities in Global Health!

Resources to Get Started

Sign-up for all of our weekly newsletters here!

Policy and Social Impact Photo

Schedule an Appointment

Advising appointments are one-on-one meetings. Students can make an appointment through Handshake to have a strategic conversation about their career, prepare the best application materials possible, find resources to search for internships and jobs, or sharpen their interview skills.

Our team of expert advisors includes professionals with experience in government, public policy, advocacy, and global health. All of our advisors can speak to you about policy and social impact careers, but they also have discipline-area expertise as well:

  • Maha Ezalarab, Program Director. Maha works closely with students interested in global health and health equity. She has a public health and global health background working in internationally-focused organizations.

  • Tala Ali-Hasan, Senior Assistant Director. Tala collaborates with students who are interested generally in public policy and policy graduate school. She has a background in Chicago nonprofits and is a graduate of the College and Harris School of Public Policy.

  • Bethany Malzman, Assistant Director. Bethany works with students interested in careers across the policy and social impact sectors. She has an academic and professional background in policy, international education, and talent development.

Sign-up for an appointment with any of our advisors to get started!

Apply for Internships

Careers in Policy and Social Impact will help you identify internship opportunities to build professional skills and industry expertise. Organizations that have hosted UChicago students for internships include the Alliance for the Great Lakes, Human Rights Watch, Milken Institute, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, African Federation for Emergency Medicine, the Robin Hood Foundation, Juvenile Protective Association, Brookings Institution, and many others.

There are a variety of ways to learn about hundreds of opportunities we help to facilitate and post, including:

  • Sign-up for an advising appointment on Handshake.

  • Learn how you can find Jeff Metcalf Internships on UChicago Handshake.

  • Sign-up for all of our weekly newsletters, including the Metcalf newsletter which provides a weekly list of all currently posted Metcalf internships.

Support Our Students

The continued support of alumni plays an integral role in the success of students involved in Careers in Policy and Social Impact. We welcome employers to engage by speaking with students, joining career panels, hosting an intern or extern, or making a gift to the program. If you are interested in any of these options or would like to get involved in other ways, please contact Maha Ezalarab at ezalarab@uchicago.edu

Join a Program

Responding to students’ diverse interests, Careers in Policy and Social Impact offers many cohort-based programs, each designed to guide students in their career path, help to build skills, hone interests, and sharpen applications for internships and full-time jobs.

Open, Opt-In Programs

Selective Cohorts

Contact Us

For more information about Careers in Policy and Social Impact, please contact Maha Ezalarab at ezalarab@uchicago.edu