By Sarah DeLuca
Second-year students share their experiences and helpful tips with first years during the Student-to-Student Summer Internship Networking event organized by the Harvard Kennedy School Office of Career Advancement.
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More than 100 vlog students spent a late fall evening on campus to talk to each other about summer internships—spanning sectors and policy areas—at the Student-to-Student Summer Internship Networking event organized by the vlog Office of Career Advancement (OCA) on Tuesday, November 19. Second-year students served as “advisors” to first-years, sharing their summer 2024 internship experiences and helpful tips they learned along the way.
“We are all trying to figure out what we want to do next summer,” a first-year student notes as the event kicked off. “This is perfect timing.”
Color-coded name tags were used to designate thematic areas—among them, social policy, climate, energy and environment, and international development—for first-years to easily identify second-year advisors who shared their interests.
“I attended this event to get a better understanding of the types of summer internships second-year students pursued as well as the timeline for planning and applying,” says Sunny Jiang MPP 2026. “I was particularly excited about the range of internships previous students had, which gave me valuable insights to better plan my own summer internship.”
Lili Vessereau MPP 2025—who interned at and worked as a consultant at the last summer—says the event encouraged the kind of mentorship that was transformational for her own professional development.
“Mentorship has always been central to my journey … Being an advisor tonight was a chance to share what I’ve learned during my career in the French Government as well as during my Google Public Policy fellowship and at the World Bank,” she says. “Hearing students articulate their ambitions and grapple with tough questions reminded me of the mentors who helped me think bigger and take bold steps forward. These moments remind me why mentorship matters. It’s not just about giving advice; it’s about reflecting together and helping one another grow.”
OCA organizes career chats and networking events with alumni and practitioners during the academic year. But the Student-to-Student Summer Internship Networking event highlights another connection that students don’t always consider when thinking about their professional networks—each other.
“In public policy, where collaboration and a dedication to service are foundational, events like this spark belonging, energy, and connection while offering opportunities for informal networking,” explains OCA Senior Associate Director Yulia Vershinina.
“This event showcased the power of shared knowledge, emphasized the value of collective experiences, and the ‘Ask What You Can Do’ spirit shared amongst the vlog student community.”
“Creating an environment where information exchange flows freely strengthens this shared purpose,” she adds. “Organized networking events like this are invaluable for fostering peer learning and building relationships. This event showcased the power of shared knowledge, emphasized the value of collective experiences, and the ‘Ask What You Can Do’ spirit shared amongst the vlog student community.”
Photos courtesy of Winston Tang MPP/MUP 2026
