As part of Quinnipiac’s Presidential Public Service Fellowship Program, the students will spend the summer working full-time across municipal departments, supporting projects that range from environmental policy and economic development to youth services and grant writing.

Now in its 23rd year, the fellowship connects student leaders with hands-on work in local government while helping the town advance projects designed to leave a lasting impact on the community.

For Kiera Baxter, a rising junior from Fairfield working in the Hamden Town Clerk Office, the experience offers an opportunity to better understand how government functions at the local level.

“The Presidential Public Service Fellowship is important to me because it provides the opportunity to engage directly in public service and see firsthand how local government impacts communities,” Baxter said.

The 2026 fellows are: Baxter, Samaya Cabrera (New York, New York, Hamden Youth Services), Elizabeth Connelly (Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, Hamden Mayor’s Office), Joshua Dontigney (Wallingford, Hamden Economic Development), Audrey Everett (Wilmington, Delaware, Hamden Community Services), Melody Saboori (Reading, Pennsylvania, Hamden Economic Development), and Jenna Santos (Shelton, Hamden Grants Office).

Over the course of the summer, the students will contribute approximately 2,800 hours of service to town government operations, working directly alongside department heads and municipal leaders.

For many, the program represents more than professional experience. It is also an opportunity to build stronger connections with the community.

“This fellowship is extremely important to me, and I am grateful to have been placed at the Keene Community Center,” Everett said. “I strongly believe in giving back to the community, and this fellowship provides a meaningful opportunity to do so.”

The fellowship is supported by the office of President Marie Hardin and by a financial donor trust established by Hank Bartels and Nancy Bartels in 2003. Since the program began, 159 students have served as Public Service Fellows, representing nearly 50,000 hours of service in Hamden.

Cabrera, a rising junior majoring in criminal justice and psychology, said the fellowship offers a chance to strengthen both leadership skills and a long-term commitment to public service.

“The Presidential Public Service Fellowship is a meaningful opportunity for me to further develop both personally and professionally while deepening my commitment to public service and community engagement,” Cabrera said.

Some students return to the fellowship for a second summer, bringing with them a clearer sense of how their academic interests connect to local government work.

“As a second-year fellow, I have seen firsthand how the fellowship can impact someone,” Connelly said. “By the end of the summer, I saw how my work directly impacted the government and the Hamden community.”

The fellowship program was launched in 2003 and is directed by Scott McLean, professor of political science, who said the students continue to challenge assumptions about civic engagement among younger generations.

“We hear a lot about Generation Z as apathetic and distrustful of government. Not these students,” McLean said. “The fellows today are just as idealistic and hungry to make an impact as in the past.”