Hamden’s back-to-back Sustainable CT success stories represent an accomplishment the town has been eyeing since 2017, said Hamden Mayor Lauren Garrett.

“For years, the town had not hit any of the benchmarks. Last year, with the help of our Quinnipiac fellows, we earned our first-ever benchmark, and we skipped over bronze and went right for silver,” Garrett said. “Through our work and continuing to advance our sustainable communities over this last year, the Quinnipiac fellows helped us achieve Climate Leader. We would not have been able to do that without them.”

Independently funded Sustainable CT challenges municipalities to complete significant sustainability achievements across 13 areas of impact to earn bronze, silver, or gold certification. Climate Leaders have completed rigorous actions addressing climate change and committed to ongoing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the changing climate.

“The Sustainable CT program is a really powerful way for us to highlight the work that we’re doing in creating environmental and sustainable communities in Hamden,” said Garrett. “It also provides some resources in terms of grant support; and, within the Sustainable CT structure, it gives us guidelines for what we should be focusing on for building sustainable communities. I think it’s a great accomplishment for the town in doing all this work; and we could not have gotten there without our Quinnipiac fellows.”

During her 12-week fellowship with Hamden in the summer of 2024, completing the 2024 Sustainable CT application was the main role for economics major Mariam Saad ’26 JD ’29. Saad said having this opportunity as her first fellowship and internship was a very fulfilling and enriching experience.

“The deadline to submit it was August 15; and I submitted it in my last week of work. It was a lot of work, but it was rewarding to see my work amount to something,” said Saad. “Everyone in Hamden was so helpful. I think the fellowship program is a great opportunity for Quinnipiac students, and not just those that want to go into public service. There are so many different positions; and you get to meet so many new people and explore so many new things. You get to know more about the town; but also, you get to know more about yourself and what you want to do in your career.”

Launched in 2003, Quinnipiac’s Presidential Public Service Fellowship program places outstanding student leaders from across disciplines in summer municipal posts, where they can leverage their education and skills to help advance needed community projects. The fellowship is a partnership with the office of Quinnipiac President Judy Olian and the town governments of Hamden and North Haven. Supported by a financial donor trust established by Hank Bartels and Nancy Bartels, fellows receive fulltime pay for municipal service.  To date, over 140 students have served as public service fellows, providing nearly 49,000 hours of community service.

The fellowship program is directed by Scott McLean, professor of political science. McLean said the municipalities and the students benefit from their interaction.

“Municipal government budgets and staff are doing the best they can but are stretched thin. What our students provide is an outside perspective, critical thinking when applied to proposals that the town is considering, and professional-level commitment in terms of their time,” said McLean.

Fellows also bring unique educational expertise and skill sets tied to their majors.

“In return, what they’re getting is the sense that they’re making a difference; and they’re getting mentoring and advice from professionals who work in the field,” said McLean. “Many of our students have gone on to work in municipal government or go on to graduate school to study public policy, law, or environmental science; largely, significantly because of their connections and networking that they made use of while they were in this role for the town.” 

McLean said the valuable experience also demonstrates a truer sense of the meaning of public service to each fellow.

“I think what they come to appreciate a bit more from this experience is that public service is a professional career that they can feel comfortable in and proud of doing; and that it’s a very satisfying feeling to leave an impact like this on a community,” said McLean.

Garrett said the fellows assisting with the town’s Sustainable CT project receive an exceptional view into how government works.

“Because there are so many different ways that you can score points for Sustainable CT, you have an opportunity to engage with so many different departments throughout the town and the experience and knowledge that you gain through doing that is invaluable,” said Garrett. “If working in municipal government or any type of government really is something that is of interest to them, there’s a huge opportunity to have a great deal of experience in a short amount of time and learn so much about municipal government through this program.”

During his tenure as a fellow with the Town of Hamden in the summer of 2023, criminal justice/law enforcement major Alex Ramnarine ’25 JD ’28 helped to get the ball rolling on the Sustainable CT Silver certification, among many other tasks in his portfolio.
“The mayor’s office is constantly busy, which makes sense for a town of 60,000 people,” said Ramnarine. “It’s our responsibility to zero in on specific tasks, do the research, and put together a lot of different information into very neat presentations to officials that can then make decisions that support the community. I was glad I was able to contribute to that.”

Ramnarine said his experience working with a local municipality is resonating with his current service as a congressional intern in Washington, D.C. with U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.

“Up until this point, everything I’ve done working with government was hyperlocal, so it’s interesting to see how the concerns of her constituents back in Connecticut are getting translated onto the national stage,” said Ramnarine.

He said his main takeaway from his experience working in the Hamden mayor’s office was the immediate and noticeable impact that local government can make.

“Local government, mayor’s offices, or even subdivisions within town government -- that’s where the rubber meets the road,” said Ramnarine. “Those are some of the most important elections and decision making that happens in all of government. And it’s so small, there’s not room for polarization – everybody wants to get things done. Everyone is tired of spilling coffee in their car from hitting a pothole. Everybody is tired that their favorite business can’t stay operational. It’s people that care about the local issues and care about their community. It’s just so much more of a refreshing experience in government.”