Meet Chanel Jordan! Chanel is a sophomore Politics and Public Affairs and Black Studies double major and Educational Studies minor on a Pre-Law track who ultimately wants a career that helps to advance access to higher education for Black individuals. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when Chanel arrived on the Hill her first year, it was a culture shock. However, she soon found her footing in the Politics and Public Affairs Department. During the second semester of her first year, she took Introduction into Theorizing About Normative Political Life with Dr. Heather Pool solidifying her major in Politics and Public Affairs.
As Chanel’s first year came to a close, she received an opportunity to intern with the Pennsylvania House of Representatives under Representative Roni Green, who does a lot of work on labor unions, education, gun violence prevention, and support for the elderly. She first heard about the opportunity through a referral from Vision for Equality Philadelphia. In her internship, Chanel completed legislative research and worked on two bills. The first bill focused on putting more lights throughout Philadelphia as research showed that areas with high crime rates typically lack street lights and corner lights. The second bill focused on redistributing funding from the Philadelphia Police Department to Philadelphia’s public schools. Chanel was acknowledged in the notes of the latter bill.
Overall, Chanel speaks highly of her internship experience, mentioning how she loved to witness Black leadership in her hometown. Specifically, she got to meet the Philadelphia Police Commissioner, the first Black woman to fulfill the role and Dr. Ala Stanford, the founder of the Center for Health Equity, an organization committed to providing access to exceptional healthcare through advocacy and education. She describes meeting Dr. Stanford as one of her most memorable experiences during her internship!
Looking back on her internship, Chanel urges underclassmen searching for an internship to be open and know that doing anything with your summer (internship, volunteer work, job) is worthwhile! Also, she highly suggests using the Knowlton Center for Career Exploration. Previous to her internship, Chanel met with Anneke Mason to discuss the different postgraduate pathways for her major. The meeting opened her eyes to the various ways in which she could use her degree.
In addition to her advice to underclassmen, Chanel urges people seeking internships and other professional development opportunities to network. She says “simple conversations can go a long way” and “be willing to talk to people; don’t wait for people to come up to you.”
If you would like to connect with Chanel to talk more about her internship experience, feel free to connect via her via LinkedIn or email (jordan_c1@denison.edu)
