Poverty Studies Internship

IRP partners with the Morgridge Center for Public Service on the UW–Madison campus to sponsor an academic-year undergraduate Poverty Studies Internship focused on translating poverty and policy research for an undergraduate audience and campus outreach. This has included Poverty Fact Sheets and the Anti-Poverty Intern podcasts, available below.

Anti-Poverty Intern podcast

The Anti-Poverty Intern podcast examines career paths for undergraduate students interested in pursuing a career in antipoverty work. It is hosted by UW–Madison students interning with IRP through a partnership with the Morgridge Center for Public Service. Listen to recent episodes.

Episode 5: Joshua Wright

In this episode, we hear from Joshua Wright, Community Project Coordinator with the Cancer Health Disparities Initiative at the UW Carbone Cancer Center. Wright shares the importance of making and keeping connections within the community both for educational and career purposes, and how getting involved with local efforts can lead to valuable experiences and relationships.

Episode 4: Kadijha Marquardt-Davis

In this episode, we hear from Kadijha Marquardt-Davis, who was a legislative assistant in the Wisconsin State Legislature at the time of the interview and has since become policy advisor for a representative in the legislature. In the interview, Marquardt-Davis talks about how she became interested in policy, tips for transitioning from school to the professional world, and the importance of finding a mentor.

Episode 3: Kim Sutter

In this episode we hear from Kim Sutter, Director of Services for Porchlight, which is the largest provider of low-cost housing and homeless services in Dane County, Wisconsin. Sutter holds an undergraduate degree in social work from UW–Madison and shares her career path to oversees multiple programs as well as a large staff and volunteers. She also explains how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the homeless population and how Porchlight could provide services.

Episode 2: Eleanor Pratt

In this episode we hear from Eleanor Pratt, a grant writer with the Heartland Alliance and recent graduate of the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Pratt talks about the importance of developing writing and editing skills, what she’s learned from her experiences, and the challenge of doing anti-poverty work.

Episode 1: Troy M. Williams

For the first episode of the Anti-Poverty Intern, host Simon Guma talks to UW–Madison PhD candidate Troy M. Williams. They discuss Williams’ path to pursuing a PhD at UW–Madison’s School of Human Ecology, advice for students and researchers who are engaging with members of their communities, and the challenges of working in institutions that still have a lot of work to do when it comes to issues of race.