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Home > Degree Programs > Office of Career Advancement > Students and Alumni > Summer Internships > Dukakis Summer Fellowship
Dukakis Summer Fellowship
HKS students currently enrolled in two year degree programs are invited to apply for the Michael S. Dukakis Governors’ Summer Fellows Program. This nonpartisan fellowship program is designed to prepare students for leadership in state government. Students will serve for 10-12 weeks in the executive offices of governors around the United States. Two-year students can apply between their first and second years; joint degree students may apply for either the first or second summer of their program.
The specific duties, projects, and responsibilities of each fellow will be determined in partnership with the governors’ offices once fellows have been selected. Each Dukakis Fellow will receive a stipend of $7,000.
Three fellowships are anticipated to be available for 2010. A fourth fellowship may also be granted to a student who secures his or her own internship opportunity within another U.S. Governor's office.
This fellowship is made possible by a generous gift from Marilyn and Calvin Gross, Harvard College Class of 1956, in honor of Michael S. Dukakis, former Governor of Massachusetts.
Fellowship Locations
Locations for 2010 fellowships will be announced soon.
Past fellowship locations have included:
- Wisconsin: Governor Jim Doyle
- Washington: Governor Christine Gregoire
- Texas: Governor Rick Perry
- Massachusetts: Governor Deval Patrick
- Maryland: Governor Martin O'Malley
- Kansas: Governor Kathleen Sebelius
- Hawaii: Governor Linda Lingle
- Colorado: Governor Bill Ritter
- California: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
What Will I Do As A Dukakis Summer Fellow?
What you will do during the summer is largely dependent upon your interests and the specific needs of the host governor. Each fellowship will be designed to ensure that the fellow has the opportunity to learn about, and contribute at, the highest levels of state government.
Fellows will be asked to write a short reflective memo at the end of the summer describing their experience and their accomplishments during their time as a Dukakis Summer Fellow.
Who Should Apply?
You should apply to the Michael S. Dukakis Governors’ Summer Fellows Program if you are:
- Interested in a career in state government;
- Looking for a summer opportunity where you can contribute your ideas, skills and experience while learning what it takes to be a state’s chief executive; and
- A two-year Kennedy School student between the first and second years of your degree program or a joint degree candidate who is in either the first or second year of your program.
You need not have prior state government experience to apply.
How Do I Apply?
To apply for a Michael S. Dukakis Governors’ Summer Fellowship, please submit the following documents through the job posting that will be entered in JACK once the fellowship locations are finalized. The deadline is February 22, 2010 at 10:00 am.
- Your current resume
- Your unofficial HKS transcript from Fall 2009
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A Statement of Interest of 500 to 750 words. Your statement should describe the reasons you want to work in state government generally and in the office of a governor specifically as a Dukakis Summer Fellow, including how you expect the fellowship to benefit you professionally. In your statement, please highlight any policy areas or state government functions that are of particular interest to you and explain why. Please also indicate in which of the host governors’ offices you would most like to serve and why. While every effort will be made to place selected candidates in a particular office, an application may be strengthened by indicating a willingness to be placed in any of the three offices. If you are applying for a fellowship for a position you have secured on your own, please describe in detail the opportunity you have designed, to whom you will report, and how you expect this opportunity to benefit you professionally.
Your application will be reviewed by the program selection committee made up of faculty and senior staff; finalists may be interviewed. We will make every effort to notify Dukakis Fellows of their placements within four weeks of the deadline.
Questions?
Contact Laura Homokay at 617-495-4242 or by email at laura_homokay@harvard.edu.
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