Cornerstone is excited to welcome our Summer 2026 Intern Class! Each semester, our firm hosts a talented group of students and recent graduates who spend several months immersed in the world of government relations, public affairs and policy.
Our interns have the opportunity to sharpen their communication, research, writing and policy analysis skills, while working closely with teams across the firm. Throughout the program, they gain valuable insights into the workings of the U.S. government, the intersection of public affairs and public policy and the business development process.
Collectively, they will support senior professionals across various functions—including policy, research, appropriations, grant monitoring, public affairs, advisory services and operations.
We are grateful to have this group on our team and look forward to seeing all they will accomplish this summer!
Kira Agne (Operations Intern)
- College: Georgetown University
- Majors: Marketing and Management
- Fun Fact: Kira is a Division 1 swimmer and reality TV lover!
Leo Auerbach (Policy Intern)
- College: Georgetown University
- Majors: Government, Journalism and Jewish Civilization
- Fun Fact: When he was 9 years old, Leo competed in log rolling at the Junior Lumberjack World Championships! (Nonetheless, he was eliminated in the first round)
Elijah Bader-Gregory (Policy Intern)
- College: University of Rochester
- Majors: Economics and Political Science
- Fun Fact: Elijah used to manage a food truck in high school!
Zain Blair-Roberts (Policy Intern)
- College: Bowdoin College
- Majors: Government & Legal Studies, Mathematics
- Minors: Music
- Fun Fact: Zain’s parents met while working at The Onion!
Sarah Bradford (Policy Intern)
- College: University of Virginia
- Degree: BA, Political Science, Foreign Affairs
- Fun Fact: Sarah set a world record in rowing at the Junior World Championships in Italy five years ago, and the record still holds!
Reilly Curp (Policy Intern)
- College: Smith College
- Degree: BA, Government
- Minor: Spanish
- Fun Fact: Reilly was on her college’s club synchronized swimming team!
Clemencia Dane (OpsWatch Intern)
- College: George Washington University
- Majors: International Affairs
- Minors: Human Services & Social Justice
- Fun Fact: Clemencia was an extra on a Modern Family episode!
Madison Garber (Policy Intern)
- College: Johns Hopkins SAIS; Dickinson College
- Degrees: BA, International Studies and Russian
- Fun Fact: Madison has lived in 5 countries in the past 4 years: the US, Georgia, Latvia, Italy, and Kyrgyzstan!
Luke Hughes (Policy Intern)
- College: Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service
- Majors: Science, Technology, and International Affairs
- Fun Fact: Luke is a marathon runner! He will be doing his second Marine Corps Marathon this upcoming October.
Ria Kaith (OpsWatch Intern)
- College: University of Virginia
- Majors: Public Policy
- Minors: Philosophy
- Fun Fact: Ria has travelled to 10 Caribbean islands!
Lilia Kasten (Policy Intern)
- College: Baylor University
- Degrees: BBA, Economics and International Studies with minors in French and Political Science
- Fun Fact: In college Lilia worked in customer service and product management for a celebrity veterinarian with his own TV show!
Kimaya Kini (Policy Intern)
- College: University of Virginia
- Majors: Public Policy, Psychology and French
- Fun Fact: Kimaya plays women’s rugby!
Carlos Zapata Lucio (Policy Intern)
- College: University of Glasgow; Leiden University
- Degrees: MSc in Political Communications; BSc in International Relations and Organizations
- Fun Fact: Carlos has lived in seven different countries!
Seth Marcione (Public Affairs Intern)
- College: Louisiana State University
- Majors: Interdisciplinary Studies (Entrepreneurship, Sociology, Leadership)
- Fun Fact: Seth spent the majority of his childhood in Ramstein, Germany, in a quaint village called Erzenhausen!
Mckenna Merz (Operations Intern)
- College: Furman University
- Majors: Politics and International Affairs
- Fun Fact: Mckenna has heterochromia (two different colored eyes)!
Aidan Morrison (Operations Intern)
- College: University of Notre Dame
- Majors: Political Science
- Minors: Energy Studies; Portuguese and Brazilian Studies
- Fun Fact: Aidan enjoys art and drawing! In college, he has taken multiple studio art classes and has thoroughly enjoyed them.
Kadin Nuri (Policy Intern)
- College: University of Southern California
- Majors: Intelligence and Cyber Operations; East Asian Languages and Cultures
- Fun Fact: Kadin speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese!
Kenleonard Oparaji (Public Affairs Intern)
- College: University of Southern California
- Major: Public Relations
- Fun Fact: Some consider Ken a good singer! In his senior year of high school, he made the Texas All-State Choir. If you’re lucky, you may occasionally get to hear a private concert (of Ken singing to himself)!
Carolina Wen (Policy Intern)
- College: Johns Hopkins University
- Major: International Studies
- Fun Fact: Carolina can name all six of Henry VIII wives!
Teresa Wilson (Public Affairs Intern)
- College: University of Nebraska–Lincoln
- Majors: Advertising and Public Relations
- Fun Fact: While Teresa doesn’t know how to ride a bike, she does know how to ride a horse! Growing up, she wanted to be a jockey or cowgirl. While neither of those paths panned out, Teresa still loves riding.
And in our state offices, we’re pleased to welcome the following individuals:
Emma Hodges (Iowa Fellow)
- College: Iowa State University; Drake University Law School
- Degree: BA in Political Science
- Fun Fact: Emma was on the Iowa State Dance Team!
Will Pielop (Texas Intern)
- College: University of Chicago
- Majors: Economics and History
- Fun Fact: At UChicago, Will ran and played in college survivor, based on the real reality gameshow that’s been running for 50 seasons. It was fun to both be a host and a player as he got to engage in some great social and strategic trickery to try and win!
Katerina Sudentene (South Carolina Intern)
- College: University of South Carolina
- Majors: Political Science
- Minors: Business Administration
- Fun Fact: Katerina is a first-generation college student!
We’re also pleased to welcome our IT Intern back for another semester!
Abdoulie Jeng (IT Intern)
- College: University of Maryland
- Degree: Information Science
- Fun Fact: Abdoulie is an avid movie watcher and loves entertainment. He probably watches a movie at least once a week and loves to read!