Student builds on interdisciplinary education through research internship

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For fourth-year Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar Madeline Shanafelt, opportunities to explore her academic interests through research, internships and campus involvement have helped shape her Penn State experience and future career goals.

Double majoring in political science and education and public policy while simultaneously pursuing a master of arts degree in educational theory and policy, Shanafelt said she is particularly interested in how political influences affect what is taught in social studies classrooms. Studying both fields in the College of the Liberal Arts and College of Education has allowed her to explore how education and politics intersect, an interest she is now pursuing through her honors thesis.

Outside the classroom, Shanafelt, a Hollidaysburg, native, teaches workout classes at Campus Recreation, participates in Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity and leads College Democrats, an organization she has been involved with since her first year at Penn State.

“I really love the kind of work I get to do, and I’ve had a lot of experiences to meet people and network that I otherwise wouldn’t have,” Shanafelt said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s really rewarding.”

Shanafelt has also taken her Penn State experience beyond the University Park campus. After her first year, she completed an internship with the City of Austin in Texas through the Nevins Fellows Program in Penn State’s McCourtney Institute for Democracy. Drawing on what she learned in a democratic leadership course as part of the program, she worked in community engagement, conducting Q&As, participating in focus groups and observing projects in the local community.

Shanafelt has also participated in three education abroad experiences. In May 2023, she traveled to Ireland to study deliberative democracy through a Liberal Arts embedded program. The following summer, she participated in a Liberal Arts faculty-led program in the Netherlands focused on Dutch criminal and social justice. Most recently, she studied drug policy in Portugal through an embedded program in May 2026. She received enrichment funding from the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network to support her experiences in Ireland and Portugal.

“Study abroad has been instrumental in my development as a person,” Shanafelt said. “Learning about different cultures and mindsets truly changed how I view things. I feel more adaptable and prepared to take on life both professionally and personally.”

Back on campus, Shanafelt gained undergraduate research experience working with Roseanne McManus, professor of political science and international affairs. She contributed to a research project examining how political leaders’ actions influence their reputations. Her role involved coding events and leaders’ actions for analysis. Through the experience, she developed skills in data management, Excel and the research process.

Shanafelt has since applied her interdisciplinary interests to her honors thesis, which examines how teachers approach recent controversial issues in the classroom.

This past summer, she continued developing her research skills through an internship with MDRC, a New York City-based nonprofit that conducts social science and policy research.

Through MDRC’s Gueron Scholars Program, a summer program for undergraduate interns and doctoral fellows, Shanafelt gained firsthand experience in education policy research and program evaluation. She worked on two project teams, contributing to data analysis and qualitative coding while learning how research can inform policy and practice.

Her capstone project focused on career and technical education centers (CTCs) across Pennsylvania. Shanafelt analyzed the distribution of centers and their programs across the state, creating a map to illustrate geographic differences. She used her findings to develop a policy brief advocating for increased investment in rural areas.

Shanafelt also contributed to a project focused on increasing the number of healthcare professionals in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, a rural region with limited resources. Her responsibilities included attending stakeholder meetings, preparing presentations, analyzing data and coding interviews.

The internship allowed Shanafelt to build on the research skills she developed at Penn State while learning new methods she hopes to use in her own work.

“As for skills, I would definitely say qualitative analysis is something I learned a lot,” she said. “Qualitative coding is something that was new to me that I really wanted to learn this summer because I was thinking about writing my thesis in those methods.”

Beyond developing her research skills, Shanafelt became more comfortable navigating professional settings and building connections with others in the field.

“I feel way more comfortable going into rooms where I don't know people and making conversation,” she said.

Enrichment funding from the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network also helped make the internship possible. Although the position was paid, Shanafelt said her compensation did not fully cover the cost of living in New York City. The additional funding helped alleviate financial concerns so she could pursue the opportunity.

“Having the additional funding was truly game changing in allowing me to pursue this amazing opportunity while not having to worry about monetary stressors,” she said.

Perhaps most importantly, Shanafelt said, the internship reinforced her interest in pursuing a career in research and higher education, building on the academic interests she has explored through her interdisciplinary studies at Penn State.

“I’ve always wanted to get my Ph.D., so this summer really kind of illuminated that,” Shanafelt said. “I love research, I love teaching and I love working on a team.”