Haley Qaissaunee: Communications Fellow

My name is Haley Qaissaunee and I am the current Communications Fellow. I am working at the Rodel Foundation for the fall while I finish out my senior year at the University of Delaware (UD). At the University of Delaware, I major in English (professional writing) and public policy. I will also be staying at UD an extra year to receive my Master’s in Public Administration.

My dual majors signify the combination of my two passions. Writing has always been my favorite subject, and I discovered the policy world as a freshman at UD and never turned back. I believe that through studying public policy, we gain an understanding and holistic view of the structures within and decisions made about our surroundings; and through writing, we can effectively communicate these observations. In the policy realm, I am particularly involved in education issues. I worked at the Institute for Public Administration at UD this past summer and learned about children from low-income families and their opportunity gaps in the public education system. I did research on best practices to help these children and decided I wanted to help improve the quality of education for any and all student populations.

Now working at Rodel, I believe this is an organization that I can learn from because it strives to create real and necessary change in public education. I am excited to work here and feel lucky to learn from this organization and its’ employees. At Rodel, my goal is to learn as much I can about education, communication strategies, and how I can be a contributing factor in the advancement of education awareness and policy in Delaware.