This summer, undergraduate student Brady McMahon completed an internship with the National Association of Realtors (NAR) in Washington, D.C. He worked directly with the advocacy group within NAR.
“The advocacy group monitors housing policies, as well as other policies,” McMahon says. “They also look at what will affect housing, like education, healthcare and specific groups within there.”
During his internship, McMahon says he was able to work on a variety of projects, including attending hearings on Capitol Hill and participating in informational webinars. “I also worked on projects like Industry Relations, where I pulled different industries that NAR works with and found contacts to make sure everyone has a list of who to reach out to if they need to.”
A degree in public policy gives you a good baseline if you want to work in the policy industry.Brady McMahon SPP Student
“I came into the internship not knowing a lot about housing policy,” he says. “I didn’t know how education, healthcare and all that are all tied together so closely. If one changes, they all change. Learning that was really cool and surprising. I can see why they’re focusing on education and healthcare, not only just housing.”
He adds that he hasn’t pinned down his career plans yet, but he’s confident that the contacts made at his internship will prove beneficial wherever he goes. “It was really good to network and get my foot in the door in a professional setting within the policy realm,” he says.
After coming to the university with a different major, McMahon discovered public policy in a twist of fate. “One of my classes happened to be in the School of Public Policy wing of Van Munching Hall, so I had a couple of meetings with SPP staff to see more about the major and it turned out to be perfect. I think a degree in public policy gives you a good baseline if you want to work in the policy industry.”