“My time at Minaret Foundation has been both creatively fulfilling and personally transformative. I worked on interfaith education by researching religious holidays, designing graphics, and creating video and Instagram content that helped make our mission more accessible and engaging. From the start, I was trusted with real responsibilities, from leading social media ideas to designing logos, which pushed me to become more confident and outgoing in sharing my ideas. The team was incredibly supportive and encouraging, always open to feedback and generous with their guidance. Being in an environment where people demonstrated a lot of passion for their work made this experience not only rewarding but genuinely empowering. Being able to gain the perspectives of people of different backgrounds has really broadened my worldview and taught me how to build connections within and across communities. I’m leaving Minaret with stronger creative and communication skills, a deeper appreciation for interfaith advocacy, and more confidence in how I speak in professional spaces.” – Uswa, University of Texas at Austin

“Spending an academic year with Minaret has shaped my future plans and core interests. Planning for, in the fall, and directly interacting with the Texas legislative process, in the spring, launched my understanding of public policy. The two-semester structure of the program allowed me to see through my work; since the legislative session begins in January, the preparation in the fall set me up to successfully lead the Handle With Care policy area. With my primary interest being Minaret’s child welfare policy, I was excited for the opportunity to work on this program, and the experience did not disappoint. I enjoyed meeting with school districts and law enforcement agencies to implement Handle With Care, and seeing their true interest in improving their children’s lives was extremely rewarding. I leave Minaret with incredible background knowledge on a plethora of pressing public policy issues.” – Claire, Columbia University

“My year at Minaret Foundation has been overwhelmingly positive. I primarily worked on religious issues, specifically pushing policy related to the creation of a Religious Freedom Commission and allowing religious organizations and nonprofits to create insurance pools to insure themselves. Through this work, I gained invaluable experience that I believe is rare for most internships. I had the opportunity to speak directly with legislators, engage with their staff, and coordinate with stakeholders across Texas. Further, one of the most surprising—and rewarding—aspects of my internship was the level of trust and responsibility I was given. At Minaret, with hard work comes more responsibility, and I consistently felt that I was not only included in important policy conversations but also relied upon to carry out meaningful tasks independently. This level of trust made the experience even more impactful and gave me more confidence in my work. Lastly, there is an incredible team at Minaret—a group of thoughtful, caring, and intelligent people who genuinely care about the work they do. The team’s diverse religious and cultural backgrounds also brought a richness to our conversations and really strengthened our approach to advocacy. Overall, working alongside such a committed and compassionate team made my internship at Minaret an exceptionally rewarding and impactful experience.” – Gabrielle, Lehigh University

“My time at Minaret taught me more about public policy and non-profit work than I initially could have imagined. It provided me with real hands-on experience in advocacy and policy work, including writing one-pagers, conducting meetings with congressional staff, and writing sample bill text while teaching me the more general but vital skills of leading meetings and building meaningful partnerships. Overall, I loved the flexibility of my work at Minaret regarding the remoteness and the policy areas I wanted to work on. This dynamic truly does expose you to as much as possible in the time given. Further, the policy areas of child welfare, religious freedom, and food insecurity were all issues I found myself particularly passionate about before coming to Minaret, so the impactful policy work we did regarding these issues was significant to me.  Lastly, and most importantly, the staff is an incredible group of people from various backgrounds who genuinely care about their work. They also understand your circumstances and are always willing to help in any way they can. This attitude creates a great work environment and helps bring out the best in your work.” – Isabel, Barnard College

“Minaret Foundation has taught me much about what it means to work in policy. Whether through meetings with Congressional offices or helping write a one-pager, I learned how to tailor my language to my primary audience and represent the organization at the highest levels of government. I wouldn’t have imagined at the start of my internship that I would be representing the organization at tens of congressional meetings. The flexible nature of Minaret Foundation meant that my colleagues and I could contribute to positive change in Texas and the country from anywhere in the world. In addition to forging a collaborative team environment in our Zoom room, my colleagues understand a university student’s schedule. I am grateful for their help in my professional development. Minaret allowed me to advocate for child welfare issues while cementing the foundation for my policy career.” Julian, University of Illinois 

“Working at Minaret Foundation has been highly fulfilling. Since I started at Minaret, I have worked closely on our Handle with Care policy. I had minimal experience with child welfare issues when I started, but I’m so happy I learned about it and am hopeful that the policy will progress soon! I loved getting to know all the other interns and the rest of the staff! Working at Minaret provides much flexibility between working remotely and making your schedule. Making your own schedule also means different people are in the virtual office at different times, which makes for a fun dynamic. I’m also grateful for the experience I got getting familiar with the policy and reaching out to different policy leaders. Because this internship is six months, you get to dive deep into the issues and see progress, which is rewarding. The past few months have been extremely rewarding, and I can’t wait to see where Minaret goes from here.” -Madison, American University

“When I began this internship, I was still deciding about my future career options and which path was best for me. Throughout the program, I have learned much about myself and what it means to be a public servant due to this formative experience. From the start, Minaret’s emphasis on child welfare, religious freedom, and food security stood out as the organization sought to change issues that everyone could agree on. As an intern, I assisted with all three of these policy areas, learning how public policy can be utilized to connect people and improve their current circumstances. One of my favorite experiences here was the chance to draft resolution language that will go on to establish Muslim American Heritage Month in the state of Texas, recognizing the contributions of Muslims from every corner of the state. This has been an incredible experience in which I have been able to understand what I want in a career, and it has furthered my passion and commitment to serving others.” Mayha, DePaul University

“My experience with Minaret Foundation has been incredibly positive over the past six months. I loved the flexible nature of the internship program. I could schedule my working hours around my class schedule, which allowed me to stay on top of my academics and my internship work. During my time with Minaret, we shifted to a four-day workweek, and I found that to be very beneficial because it allowed me to be more productive during my working hours, and in return, I received an extra day off. The most important thing I learned during my time with Minaret was how messaging is crucial to any policy and how to tailor messages in ways that will garner bipartisan support for the same policy. This skill is invaluable especially given the current polarized nature of politics. One thing I will take away from my time working for Minaret Foundation is a passion for shaping child welfare policy. I plan on continuing into this policy field through fellowships and legislative positions. My experience with Minaret Foundation has ignited my passion for public policy, which I will always be thankful for.” –Yonathan, University of Maryland