Learn About the Current Interns

Aisha Daffeh, Housing Intern (she/her)

Aisha Daffeh is an intern with the Housing team. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Economics and Policy from University of California, Berkeley and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University. With a background rooted in tenant rights advocacy and local government, she has built her professional experience around housing stability and equitable development, specializing in unhoused services and housing program administration while working in Milpitas, California. She is passionate about using data-driven policy to create sustainable, accessible housing solutions.

Cassidy Sheppard, State Fiscal Policy Research Intern (they/them)

Cassidy Sheppard is an intern with the State Fiscal Policy (SFP) team. Cassidy is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at the University of Washington in Seattle. They just completed an internship in the spring with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), supporting policy analysis work on the state and local policy teams. Previously, Cassidy worked in labor advocacy for two years after earning a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in history from California State University, Bakersfield. Cassidy comes into this work with a desire to develop policy solutions to wealth inequality rooted in solidarity with the people who make this country run every day.

Claire-Scott Lynch, Communications Intern (she/her)

Claire-Scott Lynch is an intern with the Communications team. Before joining the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, she worked as ITEP’s Communication Intern. Claire holds a master’s degree in Mass Communication and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Louisiana State University (LSU). At LSU, she worked as a research assistant for the Gender and Politics Research Lab before joining 91.1 FM KLSU as the station’s program director. Her background in policy communications, public radio, and political representation informs Claire’s focus on accessible information for the public, particularly for communities facing systemic barriers.

Connor Dennis, SFP Network Philanthropic Engagement and Strategic Projects and Initiatives Intern

*Returning

Connor is an intern with the SFP Network Philanthropic Engagement and Strategic Projects and Initiatives Teams. Connor is a current master’s candidate in International Relations at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Prior to starting his graduate studies, Connor was a two-time Fulbright Grantee to Taiwan and worked at the international office at his alma-mater Boise State University. In this role, Connor supported hundreds of undergraduate students in pursuing international education. More recently Connor interned with the International Rescue Committee in his hometown of Boise, Idaho, supporting economic empowerment initiatives with recently settled refugees. Connor will intern with CBPP while completing his final semester of graduate studies at the Maxwell in Washington program hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Elie Literski, Income Security Intern (she/her)

Elie Literski is an intern with the Income Security team. She recently graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics, a minor in History, and a master’s degree in Political Science. Her academic research focuses on welfare policy outcomes, and her master’s thesis explored the state-level impacts of welfare reform and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF). She previously interned with a local county government, conducting policy and programmatic analysis and supporting data-driven decision-making. She also participated in the U.S. Department of State’s Global Solutions Conversations program, engaging in cross-cultural dialogue on global policy challenges. In her free time, Elie enjoys traveling, baking, and fostering dogs.

Elina Bhagwat, Health Intern (she/her)

Elina Bhagwat is an intern with the Health team. She is pursuing a master’s degree in Public Health at The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health on the health policy track. She works as a research assistant, tracking state-level changes to home and community-based services in response to federal policy changes and funding cuts.

Elina previously worked at Community Catalyst for over two years as a policy associate where she created a 2025 Republican megabill implementation timeline, tracked state consolidation legislation, and provided support for a RWJF Marketplace affordability grant. Prior to that role, she completed a summer internship at The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, where she created a social math calculator for increasing Earned Income Tax Credit refundability, researched labor movement events in Virginia, and wrote a blog post about Maryland’s Express Lane Eligibility program.

Elina graduated from the University of Richmond in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Health Studies, and Leadership Studies.

Grace Liu, Federal Fiscal Policy Intern (she/her)

Grace Liu is an intern with the Federal Fiscal Policy team. She is from Gwinnett County, Georgia, and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in International Political Economy with a minor in Anthropology at Georgetown University. She recently interned in the House of Representatives for her neighboring district, where she engaged with constituents and advanced legislation for SNAP accessibility. Previously, she interned with the City of Atlanta’s Department of City Planning, where she developed an award-winning ArcGIS Story Map telling the story of civic engagement in Atlanta’s 25 Neighborhood Planning Units. Across these experiences, Grace has developed a deep interest in equitable economic policy and building stronger connections between communities and public resources. Outside of her academic and professional work, she enjoys listening to 90s R&B, cooking new dishes, and watching soccer.

Grace Van Voorst, Outreach Intern (she/her)

Grace Van Voorst is an intern with the Outreach Team. She is currently a senior at the University of Wisconsin–Madison studying Public Policy and Education Policy Studies. At her university, Grace works as the Internal Director of the Open Seat Food Pantry, a student-led campus pantry serving thousands of students monthly. In that role, she leads outreach efforts connecting students with food resources and public assistance programs, develops educational materials and internal systems, and advocates for greater institutional investment in student basic needs.

Last summer, she lived and worked in Arusha, Tanzania as a Curriculum and Outreach Intern with Finnish Special Education in Africa where she developed outreach materials, collaborated with deaf and special education teachers, and helped document local programs expanding access to inclusive education. Grace has also worked as a Community-Based Learning Intern with the Morgridge Center for Public Service, where she facilitated sustainable, reciprocal university-community partnerships and developed curriculum focused on ethical community engagement and structural inequality.

She is especially passionate about reducing barriers to public benefits and ensuring that programs intended to reduce poverty and expand opportunity are accessible and responsive to the communities they are designed to serve.

Himesh Kafle, Government Affairs Intern (he/him)

*Returning

Himesh is an intern with the Government Affairs team. His duties involve keeping track of legislation, committee hearings, and public statements, in addition to other Congressional affairs. His experiences revolve around North Carolina politics, including with the City Council, the North Carolina General Assembly, and political advocacy campaigns. He is currently a Political Science student at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Juliana Li, SFP Campaigns and Communications Intern (she/her)

Juliana Li is an intern with the SFP Campaigns and Communications team. She is a rising junior at the University of Pennsylvania, studying Economics and Comparative Literature. Juliana grew up splitting her time between Alaska and Arizona and has served her community as a peer counselor at a crisis hotline and as an intern on congressional campaigns. At the University of Pennsylvania, she leads media strategy for Penn Leads the Vote and created the media communication campaign during the 2024 national election. She also founded and co-edits Criss Cross, a student magazine focused on art, writing, and interdisciplinary conversation. During summer 2025, Juliana worked with the Urban Affairs Coalition, a Philadelphia nonprofit, helping run a program that connected local youth to job opportunities.

Kaylyn Williams, SFP Network and Organizational Effectiveness Intern

*Returning

Kaylyn is an intern with the State Fiscal Policy Network and Organizational Effectiveness team. Prior to this position, she gained professional experience as a Summer Survivor Services Intern with the International Rescue Committee (IRC). In this position, Kaylyn gained experience in trauma-informed care, psychological first aid, and immigration policy analysis to adequately provide services to clients with the guidance of the IRC’s Survivors of Torture team. As a Consultant Intern with Jobs for Humanity, Kaylyn also gained professional experience in advocacy and grant writing as she worked to support the organization’s mission of inclusive hiring for marginalized communities.

Kaylyn graduated from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2024 and is currently in her second year of study at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). At SAIS, Kaylyn is working towards a master’s degree in International Relations with a concentration in Governance, Politics, and Society in Africa.

Peyton McConnell, Food Assistance Intern (she/her)

*Returning

Peyton is an intern with the Food Assistance team. After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill in May with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and minors in food studies and social and economic justice, she worked with SNAP users as the Food Access Coordinator for a farmers market organization in the Boston area. Additionally, she has experience within food nonprofits to increase access to food and push for a more equitable and sustainable food system. Outside of work, Peyton enjoys cooking, watching movies, hiking, and exploring her new home in Boston.

Yumna Hussain, Data Intern (she/her)

*Returning

Yumna is an intern with the Data Analysis and Research team. She is a recent graduate of Lafayette College with a degree in Mathematics-Economics and a minor in Data Science. Before joining CBPP, Yumna conducted empirical research at the Federal Reserve Board through the American Economic Association Summer Program, examined policies affecting immigrant and New American education as a Research Analyst Intern at the National Association of Higher Education, and supported experimental and archival research at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Stanford University’s Conflict and Polarization Lab. She is passionate about using data-driven analysis to inform policies that address inequality and expand educational and economic opportunity.