NYPIRG internship. By Zachary DiCanio
May 17, 2021
Open gallery
This semester, I interned for the New York Public Interest Research Group. NYPIRG is a community based, non-partisan, non-profit, research and public education organization. This organization helps inform the public on ways to solve pressing issues and increase the quality of life within New York State. NYPIRG aims to address the need for improvement of education, pressing environmental issues, food and water quality, and socioeconomic disadvantages through the political engagement of the public. During this internship, I reached out to students on campus to inform and engage them in events, upcoming votes, and conferences. I also helped gather signatures on petitions for increasing SUNY/CUNY funding in this year’s state budget and protesting the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure into New York State. The internship also included the planning of events such as an environmental themed Earth day event which was conducted virtually. We invited students to attend our weekly chapter meetings that were very informative and covered important issues such as online scams that target college students and the overuse of antibiotics in farm products that negatively affect public health. This internship was a beneficial experience because it helped me develop skills in public speaking, event organization, and efficient forms of activism. It was a pleasure to work towards bringing changes that will overall benefit and improve the quality of life for New York students and residents.