Toby Neal grew up in a rural North Carolina town of about 2,000 people, transferring to Yale from community college.
Driven towards public service, Neal expected he might work in Washington, D.C. But after an internship in Raleigh, N.C., last summer, he realized he belonged back home.
“Doing something that will impact someone’s life in North Carolina for the better — that was such a great motivator for me,” Neal said. “I really care about my state. I realized this was where I need to be.”
Now a junior at Yale, Neal will work this summer as an intern in the North Carolina Lt. Governor’s Office, thanks in part to the support of the Millstone Fellowship in Public Service in Yale College, offered through the Institution for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS).
Created through a generous gift from Yale College alumni Jennifer Millstone ’00 and David Millstone ’99, the fellowship provides undergraduate students with the resources to pay for housing, transportation, and other expenses while gaining valuable experience and building a network of peers and professional contacts in pursuit of careers in public service.
Following graduation, Neal plans to attend law school and pursue a career in North Carolina state government, continuing his focus on policy, access, and public impact.
“Often these internships do not pay,” Neal said. “Or if they pay, it’s not a lot. And it’s expensive to live in Raleigh. I’m grateful for the Millstone funding. Without it, I would not have this opportunity, which will hopefully set me up for my career.”
This year’s 15 Millstone fellows will work this summer in federal, state, and local government. Under Christina Kinane, the program’s faculty director and an ISPS fellow and assistant professor of political science, the fellowship not only provides financial support but organizes speaker events and roundtables for fellows to learn from the experiences of Yale alumni serving throughout government.
“We saw a much bigger application pool this year, which I see as a testament to the whisper networks on campus,” Kinane said. “Students have heard about the Millstone Fellowship and are excited about it because they know the support here is real.”
Kinane expressed admiration for how proactive this cohort has been, with students aggressively pursuing opportunities, building connections, and, in some cases, securing multiple internships or even job offers tied directly to their fellowship-supported work. She took pride in how their ambitions span local, state, federal, and international public service, reflecting the program’s intentional design to expose students to the full ecosystem of government.
“These are impressive students,” Kinane said. “They’re accomplished already, they’re just getting started, and they’re incredibly tenacious. They want to do good in the world. And they understand that even small actions in public service can create real, permanent change.”
Chloe Abbruzzese’s interest in international security sparked following a fall course on the geopolitics of the war in Ukraine and a trip to Washington, D.C., in October organized by the Jackson School of Global Affairs. With support from the Millstone Fellowship, Abbruzzese will work this summer as an intern for the U.S. Department of Defense, Headquarters United States European Command.
“Before this class and trip, I hadn’t really considered a career in public service,” Abbruzzese said. “I felt like I had a very narrow view of what that could be.”
While clear-eyed about the inevitability of conflict in government work, she sees value in participating in the process and building stronger international relationships.
“My optimism lies in some of the smaller projects and issues that are less controversial and still really important,” Abbruzzese said. “And staying out of government is not a way to make progress.”
Lucas Ranfranz traces his interest in government service back to childhood, shaped in part by his mother’s experience growing up in communist Poland. That background instilled a belief in public institutions and a desire to contribute meaningfully through government work.
Beyond financial support, he was drawn to the fellowship’s mentorship component—particularly the opportunity to work with Professor Kinane, whom he deeply admired during his first semester at Yale.
Ranfranz will continue an internship roll in the federal government he started as a rising junior working in Dallas. This summer, he will work in Washington, D.C., and possibly attend law school after graduation with the intention to begin his career in public service.
“It’s truly, the most satisfying work I’ve ever done in my life,” Ranfranz said. “I feel like I’m actually making good changes for society.”
Alessandra Pappalardi will spend the summer working with the New Haven Democracy Fund, part of the mayor’s office. The fund supports campaign matching and voter participation as New Haven transitions to four-year election cycles — raising the stakes of local elections.
“My job is to go around New Haven and inform people that this exists — that people can run, challenge incumbents, and be part of their local democracy,” Pappalardi said.
Coming from a low-income background, Pappalardi credits her mother with instilling the value of service, particularly voluntary. She views public service as cyclical: investing time and energy into shared institutions strengthens the structures that, in turn, support communities.
“You can’t have good volunteer structures or championed distributive systems without strong electoral foundations,” Alessandra said, stressing the interconnectedness of local democracy, civic participation, and generosity.
Funding from the fellowship will pay for her housing over the summer.
“The Millstone Fellowship is amazing,” she said. “It makes it possible for me, a first-generation, low-income student on a QuestBridge scholarship, to stay here over the summer and pursue work that I’m really excited about.”
Meet this year’s class of Millstone fellows:
