The 2026 Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience brought students from Spelman College and Morehouse College to the University of Michigan for hands-on training in applied social policy research.
Spelman students Toni Flemming, Joasia Jacobs, Olivia Liddie, and Morehouse students Donovan Correll, Chavous Langhorn, and Vincent Patterson will spend the summer advancing quantitative social science research skills, learning about careers that inv...
Rising Morehouse College senior Tyler Mathieu had one goal in mind when he arrived in Ann Arbor for the Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience (ASPIRE): stay open-minded. “When I applied, it was a shot in the dark,” he said. “Now I ...
The Youth Policy Lab (YPL) at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the Institute for Social Research is proud to announce the 2025 Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience (ASPIRE) cohort. This summer, Spelman students Ke'Zh...
When Chaelee Farquarson learned about the Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience (ASPIRE), she applied out of curiosity. As a rising senior studying psychology at Spelman College, much of her research was theoretical. “I was drawn t...
Since launching in 2016, The Youth Policy Lab (YPL) at the University of Michigan has helped community and government agencies make informed, impactful policy and program decisions. The most recent annual report shares remarkable growth and expansion...
Summer 2024 brings another exceptional cohort of undergraduate students from Spelman College and Morehouse College to the University of Michigan’s Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience (ASPIRE). Launched in 2023, the eight-week s...
Summer 2023 proved to be eventful and rewarding for the inaugural Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience (ASPIRE) cohort. The program, a collaboration between the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and Spelman College, provided ...
This summer, four outstanding undergraduate students from Spelman College will participate in the University of Michigan’s Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience (ASPIRE)—a seven-week summer program run by the Youth Policy Lab (YPL)...
In a return to her alma mater, Ford School interim dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes visited Spelman College to elevate the visibility of the Ford School at the nation’s top-ranked Historically Black College and to strengthen the relationship between the t...
The 2026 ASPIRE participants presented their research findings, marking the culmination of their experience in the eight-week summer program. ASPIRE (Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience) is an eight-week summer internship program...
