Jana Hardy '04 Named NYC Urban Fellow

Jana Hardy '04 has received a fellowship with the New York City Urban Fellows Program, one of 25 selected from a pool of nearly 250 applicants from across the United States. "I'm really excited to put my education to work," says Hardy. "My time at CMC has been great for me, but it's time to test my knowledge and skills in the real world."
A native of Spokane, Washington, Hardy is majoring in government and is in the leadership sequence. She participated in the Washington D.C. Program her first semester of her junior year, and studied abroad in the Czech Republic her second semester.
The prestigious New York City Urban Fellows Program, which takes place from September 2004 through May 2005, was initiated to offer aspiring public policymakers the opportunity to grapple first hand with contemporary urban issues. It offers recent college graduates full-time positions in New York City government, plus a weekly seminar series on the workings of local government.
"The fellowship offers the kind of inside access to New York City government that would be impossible in any other entry-level job," says Hardy. She hopes that the fellowship's focus on the formation and implementation of public policy will help her decide whether or not to continue in the public policy track. Hardy would eventually like to pursue graduate studies in public policy or public administration.
The city departments and agencies with whom the 25 program participants will intern deal with a wide range of issues, including education, low-income housing, economic development, homelessness, and affordable health care.
Hardy says she is looking forward to the experience: "Part of the reason I'm excited about living and working in New York is the chance to learn more about where my family comes from," she says. Her father grew up in the Bronx, and her late grandfather was one of the first African Americans hired by the New York City Transit Authority.
Hardy says she is eager to represent CMC, and hopes she can encourage other students to participate in the Urban Fellows Program in the future.
She admits, however, that moving to New York for nine months "will be an adjustment for everyone. When I told my mom that I received the fellowship, she cried," Hardy said. "I think she realized for the first time that I wouldn't be home for a month at Christmas anymore."