Policy, Government, & Nonprofits
Careers in Policy, Government, & Nonprofits welcomes all students who are interested in making an impact on the world. Students pursue careers in a broad range of fields including think tanks, local and federal government, global health, human rights as well as with the quickly evolving sectors in sustainability, corporate social responsibility, impact and non-profit consulting, and economic development. For all these areas, program advisers offer guidance and industry expertise to help students identify public policy and service opportunities best suited to their skills and interests.
Save the Date: Upcoming Programs
Women's Datathon
February 6-8, 2026 | Miami, FL
Apply Here
Hosted by Citadel and Citadel Securities in partnership with Correlation One, this event is open to top students across North America who identify as women. Invited students will be flown out to Miami in an all-expense-paid trip for the three-day long event.
Women’s Datathon is a national data science competition. Datathons challenge students from the world's best universities to tackle real-world social challenges in topics such as urban traffic, renewable energy, and education.
Emergency Relief Policy Simulation
Thursday, February 19, 2026, 3pm-5pm | Keller Center Sky Suite
Register Here
This simulation invites students to take on the role of policy advisers designing an equitable emergency relief plan looking back at Hurricane Katrina. The experience will allow them to analyze existing policy frameworks, work in teams to draft recommendations, and present those proposals to a panel of judges representing the public and nonprofit sectors.
National Security & Community Safety Careers Conference
Thursday, April 2, 2026 | Ida Noyes Hall West Lounge
Register Here
During this conference students will have the opportunity to explore career pathways in national security and community safety and engage directly with employer partners and professionals in the field. This one-day conference will include interactive sessions, networking and alumni and employer chats. The conference schedule and speakers will be shared closer to the date. Students from all class years and majors are welcome to attend!
Stay Connected
Careers in Policy, Government, & Nonprofits provides several ways for you to stay in touch and to learn about opportunities and events. Our newsletters include:
Careers in Policy, Government, & Nonprofits. A weekly newsletter about upcoming programming and internships.
Global Health and Health Policy. A weekly newsletter with all of Career Advancement’s opportunities in Global Health!
Resources to Get Started
Schedule an Appointment
Advising appointments are one-on-one meetings. Students can make an appointment through Handshake to have a strategic conversation about their career, prepare the best application materials possible, find resources to search for internships and jobs, or sharpen their interview skills.
Our team of expert advisors includes professionals with experience in government, public policy, advocacy, and global health. All of our advisors can speak to you about public interest careers, but they also have discipline-area expertise as well:
Maha Ezalarab, Program Director. Maha works closely with students interested in global health and health policy. She has a public health and global health background working in internationally-focused organizations.
Tala Ali-Hasan, Senior Assistant Director. Tala collaborates with students who are interested generally in public policy and policy graduate school. She has a background in Chicago nonprofits and is a graduate of the College and Harris School of Public Policy.
Bethany Malzman, Assistant Director. Bethany works with students interested in careers across the policy, government, and nonprofit sectors. She has an academic and professional background in policy, international education, and talent development.
Paige Williams, Associate Director. Paige works with students interested in careers across the policy, government, and nonprofit sectors. She has a background in Chicago corporations and is a graduate of the College and Harris School of Public Policy.
Sign-up for an appointment with any of our advisors to get started!
Apply for Internships
Careers in Policy, Government, & Nonprofits will help you identify internship opportunities to build professional skills and industry expertise. Organizations that have hosted UChicago students for internships include the Alliance for the Great Lakes, Human Rights Watch, Milken Institute, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, African Federation for Emergency Medicine, the Robin Hood Foundation, Juvenile Protective Association, Brookings Institution, and many others.
There are a variety of ways to learn about hundreds of opportunities we help to facilitate and post, including:
Sign-up for an advising appointment on Handshake.
Learn how you can find Jeff Metcalf Internships on UChicago Handshake.
Sign-up for all of our weekly newsletters, including the Metcalf newsletter which provides a weekly list of all currently posted Metcalf internships.
Support Our Students
The continued support of alumni and employers plays an integral role in the success of students involved in Careers in Policy, Government, & Nonprofits. We welcome alumni and employers to engage by speaking with students, joining career panels, hiring an intern, or hosting a career trek. If you are interested in any of these options or would like to get involved in other ways, please contact Maha Ezalarab at ezalarab@uchicago.edu.
Join a Program
Careers in Policy, Government, & Nonprofits offers many cohort-based programs, each designed to guide students in their career path, help to build skills, hone interests, and sharpen applications for internships and full-time jobs.
Open, Opt-In Programs
Selective Cohorts
Contact Us
For more information about Careers in Policy, Government, & Nonprofits, please contact Maha Ezalarab at ezalarab@uchicago.edu