Lauren Hatchett

What is your current professional role?

I am a policy analyst at the University of Washington, Office of Planning & Budgeting. 

Can you tell us about your MEP internship experience?

My MEP internship was actually with the same office and team that I work with now. I was the legislative and policy analysis intern with the policy, planning and state operations team. I learned a lot about state governance and public higher education. It’s still amazing to me how many policy areas impact the University of Washington. When I began MEP, I was focused on the benefits and opportunities higher education provides to students. My internship helped me see how the University and other public higher education institutions serve their surrounding communities and the state of Washington. 

What did you gain from the program that you have found helpful since graduating?

I valued both the structure and flexibility of the MEP program. I was able to dive into areas that interested me the most such as higher education. I also learned so much about other areas of educational policy such as early childhood education, special education and K-12 finance from our core classes and my cohort.