Nonprofit organization seeks hard-working, dedicated, intelligent, and motivated employee.

College student/recent grad seeks meaningful work experience with public interest nonprofit organization.

Public Interest Fellowship Program: Bring the two together to increase the capacity of nonprofit organizations, provide CC graduates with relevant job experience, and foster a new generation of nonprofit leaders.

CC’s innovative Public Interest Fellowship Program (PIFP), founded by Sociology Professor Jeff Livesay, has served as a community interest “matchmaker” for 10 years. One of the college’s signature programs, it connects CC students interested in the social sector with organizations pursuing innovative work in the public interest through policy, research, and advocacy.

“I felt that PIFP was a viable model for getting students and young alumni seriously involved in the nonprofit sector of civil society, and I wanted to make a contribution to CC as I neared retirement,” Livesay said.

Annice Kenan ’92, a former student of Livesay’s, has been a major funder of PIFP through the Randleigh Foundation, along with alumni contributions and a grant from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation.

Caroline Hodge ’09

“I think I have said this a million times, but I feel like I owe PIFP almost everything with regard to my ‘career,’ ” sociology major Caroline Hodge ’09 said.

Hodge contributed to a significant research report on the wage theft committed against Peruvian immigrant shepherds in the Rocky Mountain region during her PIFP fellowship with Colorado Legal Services. While there, she served as outreach coordinator, planning and facilitating nightly outreach trips to migrant farmer housing sites throughout Colorado. She also was very involved in preparing visa applications for victims of sexual violence and human trafficking under the supervision of CLS attorneys.

Hodge went on to earn a master’s degree in human rights from University College London and now volunteers with Peace Brigades International in Colombia, where she accompanies threatened human rights defenders.

After Colombia, she hopes to attend law school and pursue a dual JD
and master’s in social work.

“I look back at what I’ve been doing these past years and see that almost all of my plans, goals, and convictions are rooted in and inspired by my experience with Colorado Legal Services and the philosophy of PIFP. I’m glad to know this opportunity is available to even more students,” she said.

Among the 19 members of the Class of 2014 with yearlong PIFP fellowships are Robert Heald ’14, working with New Era Colorado, a Denver-based civic engagement organization, and Lynn Doan ’14, with Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, a nonpartisan advocacy coalition that seeks barrier-free access to affordable healthcare.

“I think PIFP represents the best of what CC has to offer,” said Heald, an English major. “I was drawn to it because it seemed to incorporate a lot of what CC is all about — critical thinking, the liberal arts approach — while working with some of the leading nonprofit organizations in Colorado. The program gets beyond undergraduate majors to the essence of the liberal arts education that we all receive as CC students. You don’t have to be a political science or sociology major to engage in political or sociological work, because CC has trained us so well and across so many disciplines.”

Lynn Doan ’14

Doan, a biology major who hopes to attend dental school, said, “I looked closely at the organizations PIFP works with, and I noticed there were many organizations that intersected with my passions and values. It’s great because I found an organization that works toward access to healthcare, an issue I am passionate about.” Doan hopes to study the distribution of dental services and availability of access, examining whether personal, cultural, social, or physical barriers prevent some from receiving care.

“CC students bring ambition and critical thinking skills to the position,” said Frank Locantore, director of the Green America Better Paper Project, a PIFP partner. “Take one of our issues: making recycled paper more affordable. The students bring their energy and strong research skills developed at CC and jump right in on the problem. They are used to diving in and getting things done.”

The program’s success is greater by far than the sum of its parts, growing from 10 fellows the first year to 38 this year and from eight partnering organizations the first year to 29 now; working with more than 55 organizations to place a total of 235 CC students over 10 years; and having 18 percent of PIFP fellows hired by their organizations after their fellowship.

PIFP will celebrate its 10 years with a reception during Homecoming
Weekend 2014.