LAPI provides an opportunity for public policy majors to be awarded up to $4,000 for summer internships related to arts policy. LAPI emerged from Leadership and the Arts in New York, a popular, semester-long immersion program created by Bruce Payne, the founding director of the Hart Leadership Program.
The Hart Leadership Program has a long history of drawing connections between leadership and the arts. LAPI is designed to harness the creativity behind the practice of leadership, and it challenge students to connect their passion for the arts to their academic endeavors.
LAPI interns have the freedom to design their own summer internship at the intersection of creativity and leadership, supported by a $4000 stipend from the Hart Leadership Program. LAPI interns also engage in reflective practice, writing two “Letters Home” over the course of the summer and hearing back from Hart Leadership Program faculty and/or staff. As they conduct their internships, LAPI interns are encouraged to consider how leadership and the arts can intersect, and what each practice can gain in conversation with the other. LAPI students will also present their experiences at the Hart Leadership Program’s Public Purpose Forum in the fall after they complete the internship.
Students majoring in Public Policy who are planning to complete their required Policy Internship this summer are eligible to apply to LAPI.
The Leadership and Arts Policy Internship (LAPI) grant is an award up to $4,000 that is sponsored by the Hart Leadership Program to support innovative internships for public policy students exploring leadership and arts policy.
Former LAPI Fellow Multy Oliver (T‘21) began interning with the Hayti Heritage Center last summer as part of her LAPI summer. She enjoyed her experience so much, she continued to […]
Austin Ruiz ('17) spent his LAPI summer at Arena Stage, a theater in DC known for its commitment to producing works from diverse American voices. Read more about how this commitment was embodied in the Arena production Austin helped to put on, and what he took away from his experiences.
Sarah Darwiche ('17) was worried that she wouldn't find creative fulfillment this summer, working with DC Public Schools to create and implement a new K-12 arts curriculum. However, through getting to know her coworkers and learning more about their artistic backgrounds, Sarah realized that she didn't have to give up her own creative ideals in order to push for policy change. Read more about her journey in her own words here.