The students are part of Quinnipiac’s Presidential Public Service Fellowship Program, a long-term university initiative that supports students while they serve the local community full-time in municipal government offices in Hamden and North Haven.

The fellows are selected from a pool of student-leaders who will spend the summer applying their know-how to implement various beneficial local projects. Each student works under the mentorship of a town department head.

The fellowship is a partnership with the office of Quinnipiac President Judy Olian and Quinnipiac’s host town governments. It is supported by a financial donor trust with significant support from the federal work-study program.

The fellows are: Ashika Jain (Hamden Youth Services); Julia Lockery (Hamden’s Keefe Center); Brendan McNally (North Haven Engineering Department); Zahra Murphy (Hamden Mayor’s Office); and Megan Sloane (Hamden Mayor’s Office).

Launched in 2003, the fellowship program has placed over 100 fellows into town government. Scott McLean, professor of political science in the College of Arts and Sciences, directs the fellowship program.

“These students are smart, idealistic campus leaders who want to make a difference,” McLean said. “Like most Generation Z members, they are hungry for action and want to solve problems.

“Many of our fellows begin to really see how public service can be meaningful in their future careers,” McLean added. “I love seeing so many going on to integrate public service and community aspects into their future work.”