The Maine Department of Education (DOE) welcomed ten new student interns for the summer who will bring their ideas, energy, voice, and skills to strengthen education in Maine. These students, who will be working on a variety of Maine DOE teams, were selected for the Maine Government Summer Internship Program by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Institute at the University of Maine. The interns will spend the summer assisting with daily operations and projects at the Maine DOE while gaining professional experience and knowledge and building connection.

Maine Department of Education Interns

Charlotte Buswick is a rising senior at Colby College from Boxford, Massachusetts. She is majoring in History with a minor in Science, Technology, and Society. As an Innovative Education Assistant this summer, she will be working with the MOOSE team to develop online learning modules for students across all grade levels. She is very excited to work with and learn from everyone on the MOOSE team. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outside, listening to music, reading, and playing guitar.

Nhan Chao is a recent graduate of the University of Maine where she majored in New Media and minored in Graphic Design. She is originally from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and has been living in Maine for the last five years. As a Learning Through Technology Data and Media assistant, she will be working on a multimedia database of the social media presence of MLTI schools, cataloging computer science happenings, and organizing social media content. She is excited to work with her team and help with creating meaningful and impactful social media campaigns. During her free time, she enjoys drawing and creating animations.

Hannah Craig is a recent graduate of Boston University where she earned her degree in International Relations with a focus on International Systems and a minor in Economics. She is originally from Cumberland, Maine and now lives in South Portland. This summer, she will be interning for the Maine Opportunities for Online Sustained Education (MOOSE) team. She is looking forward to learning about curriculum content creation and the process of creating accessible and equitable learning resources for students. In her free time, she enjoys taking care of her plants, watching history documentaries, and spending time with her niece and nephew.

Jilleon Farrell is a graduate of the University of Maine at Orono where she earned her degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition. She is now in graduate school, also at UMaine, and hopes to become a Registered Dietician. She is from Manchester, Maine. As the Resource Administrator Intern, she will be assisting the operation team and updating, maintaining, and organizing operations data to gain exposure to all the opportunities the DOE has to offer this summer.

Natalie Grandahl is a rising senior studying political science at the University of Connecticut. She is from North Monmouth, Maine. As the Communications Intern, she will be creating content, writing for the newsroom, and assisting with the website. She is excited to meet a wide variety of people and to gain knowledge and experience working in government. She enjoys running, reading, and traveling in her free time.

Ryan Hafener is from Hampden, Maine and attends Hampden Academy. After graduating high school, he plans on attending college to pursue a degree in international relations or philosophy. This summer he will be interning in the Commissioner’s Office and working on both the legislative and communications teams. He is excited to get to work with education legislation and to work on media promoting public education. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, traveling, reading, and getting outdoors.

Joseph Koenig is a rising senior from Gray, Maine studying at Husson University. He is majoring in Marketing Communications with a minor in Integrated Technology and certificates in Photography, Graphic Design, Web Media, and Digital and Social Media Marketing. This summer, he will be working as the School and Student Supports Communications Assistant where he will be doing outreach to Maine educators, parents, and community members about various educational opportunities. He is most excited about working on projects that have the potential to shape the DOE in years to come.

Madeline Levesque is a rising junior at Husson University studying Graphic/Visual Design with a certificate in Marketing Communications and Photography, and she is from Augusta, Maine. This summer she will be working as the DOE’s Maine Learning Through Technology Digital Design Assistant. She will be updating and designing media forMLTI’s website while also helping to improve outreach about their current programs and events. She enjoys portrait photography, spending time outdoors, and being a member of the Husson Dance Team.

Cora Saddler is a first-year graduate student at the University of Maine at Orono pursuing a degree in English Studies with a concentration in creative writing. After graduate school, she plans on pursuing a career teaching English abroad. She is originally from Cabot, Arkansas but currently lives in Maine. As the Adult Multilingual Education Professional Development Assistant for the Maine DOE, she will be working on providing professional education resources for adult educators throughout the state. In this role, she is most excited about assisting with planning for the Adult Multilingual Learner’s Summer Institute – also known as Camp Sugarloaf. In her free time, she enjoys writing, photography, ice skating, and baking.

Annabelle Williams is a rising junior at the University of Vermont and is from Camden, Maine. She is double majoring in Psychology and Business Administration with a focus on marketing and entrepreneurship. This summer she will be working on the RREV Team in the Office of Innovation as their Communications Strategy Coach. She will be helping the team and their awardee schools effectively communicate their experiences with the program, developing RREV’s social media presence, and creating a user-guide for ENGINE which is their online collaborative platform for Maine educators.