UEIP was established in 2007, and interns are hired from among a pool of applicants in various executive offices. This year, the executive interns are using their talents and skills in the Office of the President, Office of the Dean of Students, Office of the Provost, Division of Marketing & Communications, Office of the Dean of Arts & Sciences, Office of the Dean of Engineering, Office of the Dean of the Freeman College of Management, Office of University Advancement, Office of Athletics & Recreation, Division of Library & Information Technology and, for the first year, the Division of Equity and Inclusive Excellence.
“UEIP is an impactful opportunity that is mutually beneficial for the members of the program and Bucknell,” says Kayla Howie ’25, who works in the Office of the President. “As interns, we get to learn more about the behind the scenes of the University and truly understand how each office works independently and together to allow Bucknell to function. Additionally, the program allows these offices to hear student voices directly.”
The interns can use that connection to develop projects they think will be impactful to Bucknellians.
“I applied to UEIP because I have an interest in working in higher education in the future,” says Alma Ledwidge ’25, who works in the Office of the Provost. Over the year, Ledwidge developed a student transcript that includes extracurricular activities to offer employers a better understanding of how Bucknellians engage on campus. “My mentor listened to what I was interested in—projects that outwardly and effectively benefit the student experience—and let me take those on.”
The role also puts the students, who hail from many different disciplines, together, allowing collaboration across colleges and offices. The students typically work on a larger project, which would not be possible without their combined knowledge and connections on campus. Past projects have included a “Bye to the ‘Burg’” downtown event for departing seniors, connected to the Market Street shops.
“Institutional change cannot be accomplished from one person or one department; it is the joining of forces that will allow for widespread impact,” says Howie. “As Bucknell is moving into strategic planning for 2030, student voices are critically important, and we have the potential to use this platform to make sure students’ voices are heard and valued in this process and afterward.”
The 11 executive interns participating in the program are: Kayla Howie ’25 in the office of the President, majoring in global management and Spanish; Julia Reynolds ’25 in the Office of the Dean of Students, majoring in chemistry and environmental science with a minor in women’s & gender studies; Alma Ledwidge ’25 in the Office of the Provost, majoring in history; Sarah Downey ’25 in the Division of Marketing & Communications, majoring in Italian studies and political science with a creative writing minor; Maddy Grieco ’26 in the Office of the Dean of Arts & Sciences, majoring in literary and Italian studies; Hunter Gehman ’25 in the Office of the Dean of Engineering, a computer engineering major; Saniya Brown-Baptiste ’27 in the Office of the Dean of the Freeman College of Management, a markets, innovation & design and critical Black studies double major; Waina Ali ’26 in University Advancement, a political science major; Dylan Reiff ’27 in the Office of Athletics & Recreation, an international relations and French major; Ibrahim Tahir ’26 in the Division of Library & Information Technology, a computer science and economics major and Hannah Kim ’25 in the Division of Equity and Inclusive Excellence, a mechanical engineering major.
