Samirah Pulos-Copeland, a junior English major with a concentration in Literary Studies, recently completed a year-long internship with the Michigan Student Power Network/Alliance (MSP) where she worked as an organizing fellow building a base of student activists across MSU’s campus to unite students on shared issues.

“We did this through a variety of tactics,” Pulos-Copeland said, “including, but not limited to, communal organizing, direct-action, voter registration, education, engagement, and various educational pursuits for both MSP staff and community members.

“Prior to this fellowship, I struggled a lot with anything having to do with technology. I feel much more confident with my skills to be able to successfully function as a remote worker now.”

During her time with MSP, Pulos-Copeland spent most days writing content for publication. She researched various movements and created progressive and radical writings that were published and shared to educate people on common issues within Michigan.

MSP is a statewide association of progressive student organizations that started in 2014 and currently operates on eight campuses across Michigan. The network connects student struggles across campuses, issues and identities, in order to share skills and build a statewide movement capable of effecting progressive change.

The internship was remote and self-guided, giving Pulos-Copeland the freedom to work around her school schedule. It also provided her with the opportunity to hone her technological knowledge.

“The largest skill that I built upon throughout this fellowship was my technological skills,” Pulos-Copeland said. “Prior to this fellowship, I struggled a lot with anything having to do with technology. I feel much more confident with my skills to be able to successfully function as a remote worker now.”

Pulos-Copeland counts the people and community at MSP as one of her favorite things about the internship. MSP’s small size helped her create meaningful connections with her peers during group calls.

“My favorite experience from the internship was our cohort calls…we also used these spaces to decompress and connect further as people. They were as therapeutic as they were productive.”

“My favorite experience from the internship was our cohort calls,” she said. “Though these spaces were primarily dedicated to reporting the work that we had been engaging in for the previous couple of weeks, we also used these spaces to decompress and connect further as people. They were as therapeutic as they were productive.”

Pulos-Copeland has a background in activism, having worked across various activism circles in MSU and Lansing. The connections she made through these organizations landed her an electoral fellowship with MSP, which was the steppingstone that led her to the organizational fellow internship. Her internship experience taught her some valuable lessons about life and work. “Do not settle on something that doesn’t feel right,” Pulos-Copeland said. “Your internship should give you valuable experience that you will take into the future, don’t waste it on something you don’t actually care about.”