MSU Law student earns Native American Congressional internship

Michigan State University College of Law 1L student Chloe Elm will intern this summer with the Department of Justice, Office of Tribal Justice in Washington, D.C.

Elm, who hails from Akron, N.Y., and is a member of the Tonawanda Band of Seneca Indians, was one of 12 students from 9 Native nations and 11 universities selected as 2018 Native American congressional interns by The Udall Foundation and Native Nations Institute. An independent review committee chose the students on the basis of academic achievement and a demonstrated commitment to careers in Tribal public policy.

Elm and fellow Udall interns will complete an intensive, 9-week internship this summer in Washington, D.C. Special enrichment activities will provide opportunities to meet with key decision makers.

From 1996 through 2018, 267 Native American and Alaska Native students from 120 Tribes will have participated in the program. Four Udall Interns have been students at Michigan State University.

Elm is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she majored in forensic science and psychology with minors in Native studies and medical anthropology. Last summer she interned with the National Endowment for the Arts, where she worked on projects related to cultural revitalization.

After earning her J.D., Elm plans to work on legislation and policies that directly affect indigenous peoples and underserved communities, and continue her work on cultural revitalization.

The Native American Congressional Internship Program provides Native American and Alaska Native students with the opportunity to gain practical experience with the Federal legislative process to understand firsthand the government-to-government relationship between Tribes and the Federal Government. The Udall Internship is funded and co-administered by the Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona.