2022 Interns

Danica Bajaj

School: Duke University

Hometown: Princeton, NJ

Majors: Computer Science & Philosophy

Internship: Opioid Crisis Intern for the Edgecombe County Public Health Department

There is no place like Tarboro -- the most lovable small town where it feels like anything is possible. Thank you for the best summer, friendships, and memories.

Avery Smedley

School: Duke University

Hometown: Silver Spring, MD

Major: Public Policy

Internship: Michael's Angels

Interning at Michael's Angels changed my life and my worldview! I loved my kids so much and still think about them every day. As I enter the field of advocacy, I'll never forget who I'm fighting for.

Reagan Razon

School: Duke University

Hometown: Morrisville, North Carolina

Majors: Computer Science, Child Policy Research

Internship: Michael's Angels

My time with Michael's Angels brought me great joy and inspiration. While I was teaching the kids things like math or science, they taught me about how to have courage, make mistakes and bounce right back, and have unrelenting compassion for those in your life. These are ideas I hold close to me as I venture into new endeavors. Thank you ENCIP and Tarboro for a great summer!

Emilio Abelmann

School: Duke University

Hometown: Washington, District of Columbia

Majors: Philosophy and Political Science

Internship: Edgecombe County Public Schools

I loved engaging with local NGOs and Edgecombe County's education system to develop personal and academic support systems for all students. I'm thankful that the ENCIP connected me with people across the county so I could best understand the access issues related to my work, and I really appreciated how I had direct ties to teachers, coaches, and students. Ultimately, my internship felt meaningful, and I will forever remember the fun, interactive, and explorative summer I spent in Tarboro.

Saisha Dhar

School: Duke University

Hometown: Lexington, KY

Majors: Neuroscience, Global Health

Internship: Rural Opportunity Institute - Small Bets Innovation Lab

I've learned that insight from the community is essential to attacking rural disparities. Each person I worked with in Tarboro has made me a better thinker and human being, and I left the summer refreshed, inspired, and ready to create change.

Dorian Ho

School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Hometown: New Providence, NJ

Majors: Health Policy and Management

Internship: ECU Health Advance Care Planning

"That summer was the first time I grasped what it meant to live with conviction and purpose. Navigating patients through intimate conversations about death and dying opened my eyes to the deeply human need for defining meaning in life."

Katie Chai

School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Hometown: Charlotte, NC

Major(s): Computer Science and Biostatistics

Internship: Michael’s Angels

This summer offered me a unique opportunity to unlearn and relearn many of the frameworks I had been operating on my entire life. Both the community members and my fellow interns from ENCIP helped me recognize gaps in my knowledge and showed me how to grow from these findings. I am excited to carry these teachings forward into my life, and I am more excited to continue this pattern of learning beyond the summer.

Parisa Ashar

School: Duke University

Hometown: Glen Allen, Virginia

Jalen Razor

School: Chowan University