Juhi Pawar has learned that you’ve got to go for it, no matter how unattainable your goals might feel.
While still in high school, Pawar interned with the Michigan Democratic Party, helping organize candidate events and fundraisers including those for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2022. It was then that she became interested in public policy.
“It really opened my eyes to the issues that are prominent in my own community and just how many things people deserve to be helped with,” she says.
Now Pawar is a junior at U-M, majoring in public policy. She’s also one of 20 U-M students from the University Career Center’s Public Service Internship Program (PSIP) to secure a government internship this summer.
Founded in 1969 by two U-M students who wanted to help Wolverines get public service internships in Washington, D.C., PSIP is a highly competitive program that supports about 100 U-M students annually. Once accepted into the program, students gain access to biweekly seminars, individual mentorship, and specialized resources connecting them to potential government employers.
Over the past 55 years, the program has helped about 3,200 students secure internships in Washington, D.C., and continues to expand every year. In 2023, PSIP launched an extension program in partnership with with U-M’s Office of Government Relations focused on helping undergraduates secure government internships in Lansing with the goal of retaining talent in Michigan.
PSIP students are not guaranteed an internship, but Pawar secured one with Michigan State Representative Will Snyder. She says she learned a lot working in-person in the state capitol.
“It’s sometimes shocking to see the range of opinions [of constituents], but it’s also important … to realize that it’s his job to serve every single one of these people, and every single one of these people deserve to have their issues paid attention to and listen to.”
Pawar is the first person in her family to pursue an undergraduate degree in the U.S. When she began her first year at U-M, she reached out to students on campus to ask for advice on how she could pursue a career in public policy. Almost everyone mentioned PSIP and Pawar decided to try to get into the program.
She was accepted and began spending her free time outside of
classes building relationships with coordinators, networking, and applying to internships.
“I was so happy to be a part of the program because the coordinators were amazing. The curriculum was amazing too, but I think the coordinators really made it such a unique and helpful experience,” Pawar says. “They did an excellent job of teaching us to … take advantage of the Michigan alumni network just because it’s so huge.”
Pawar received weekly guidance on her resume, cover letter, and internship applications from the PSIP coordinators. She began consulting them for general academic and career advice as well, saying that it was “more like the kind of advice that you would get from a friend or a mentor.”
One of Pawar’s biggest takeaways from the experience was to not close herself off from potential opportunities.
“Don’t tell yourself no before someone else tells you no,” Pawar says. “Whatever it is, it’s always worth giving it a shot.”
Jessica Yurasek, ’04, is the senior director of communications for the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.
