Cornerstone is excited to welcome our Fall 2025 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.
This fall, we’ve selected 20 exceptional young professionals to join our federal team, alongside two returning interns. Collectively, they will support senior professionals across various functions—including policy, research, public affairs advisory services, compliance, marketing and operations.
We are grateful to have this group on our team and look forward to seeing all they will accomplish in Washington!
Syarra Goldstein (Policy Intern)
- College: Syracuse University
- Majors: International Relations, Middle Eastern Studies, and Biology with a minor in Arabic
- Fun Fact: Syarra has traveled to 39 countries and lived in over 15 of them!
Sylvia Gomez (Policy Intern)
- College: George Washington University (’25)
- Degree: International Affairs with a concentration in Security Policy
- Fun Fact: Sylvia loves the outdoors, including backpacking and rock climbing! She has also studied Urdu and Chinese and speaks Spanish!
Mackenzie ”Kenzie” Hansen (Policy Intern)
- College: UNC Chapel Hill (’23 & ‘25)
- Degree: MA Trans-Atlantic Studies; BA Contemporary European Studies with minors in Journalism and International Conflict Management
- Fun Fact: Kenzie plays the oboe and the flute!
Maddie Hensley (Policy Intern)
- College: Indiana University Bloomington (’25)
- Degree: International Studies and Russian
- Fun Fact: Maddie loves to bake and made way too many lemon cookies this summer!
Patrick Keast (Policy Intern)
- College: University of Mississippi
- Degree: Fine Arts in film production
- Fun Fact: Patrick played club college lacrosse and founded his university’s first-ever tackle football program!
Paige Lane (Policy Intern)
- College: University of Virginia (’25)
- Degree: Economics with a minor in Political
- Fun Fact: Page has a twin sister!
Ashley Lawson (Policy Intern)
- College: Fashion Institute of Technology (’23)
- Degree: Advertising and Marketing Communications
- Additional Schooling: Pursuing her Master of Public Policy at the Catholic University of
- Fun Fact: Ashley was in color guard in high school, where she performed and competed with the school marching band!
Michael Lustri (Policy Intern)
- College: Boston College (’25)
- Degree: International Studies, Finance, and Italian
- Fun Fact: Michael has a personal goal of becoming fluent in four languages: English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese!
Benjamin Mercier (Policy Intern)
- College: Indianapolis University (’24)
- Degree: Law and Public Policy, with a minor in Economics
- Additional Schooling: Pursuing a Master in Public Affairs at Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs
- Fun Fact: Benjamin is a member of a social billiards league and plays every Monday night!
River Muench (Policy Intern)
- College: University of Southern California (’25)
- Degree: Political Science
- Fun Fact: River loves birding (or birdwatching) and thinks that birds are a really excellent and accessible way to familiarize yourself with your local area!
Henry Naughton (Policy Intern)
- College: George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs
- Majors: International Security Policy and Latin America Policy
- Fun Fact: Henry has a pet chicken named Francine!
Meghan O‘Neil (Policy Intern)
- College: George Washington University (’25)
- Degrees: International Affairs and Public Health from.
- Fun Fact: Meghan studied abroad in Singapore for a semester!
Olivia “Liv” Ryder (OpsWatch Intern)
- College: University of Maryland (’25)
- Degree: Public
- Additional Schooling: Currently, she is working towards her Master’s in Public Policy at UMD
- Fun Fact: From 2024 to the end of 2025, Olivia will have attended 21 concerts!
Jordan Shellow (Public Affairs Intern)
- University of California, Berkeley (’25)
- Degree: Molecular and Cell Biology, with a minor in Public Policy
- Fun Fact: Jordan used to be a professional child actor and co-starred in a few TV shows!
Anshul Shukla (Public Affairs Intern)
- College: American University
- Majors: Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government (CLEG), with a minor in Business Administration and a Certficate in Advanced Leadership Studies
- Fun Fact: Anshul can cook an entire Thanksgiving meal with no recipe!
Julia Shumilo (Operations Intern)
- College: University of California, Santa Barbara
- Major: Political Science
- Fun Fact: Julia speaks Ukrainian fluently but never learned to read or write in Ukrainian!
Aaron Stettner (Operations Intern)
- College: University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Majors: History and Environmental
- Fun Fact: Aaron is an intermediate piano player and enjoys playing pieces by Scott Joplin!
Mackenzie Thomas (OpsWatch Intern)
- College: University of Notre Dame (’25)
- Degrees: Political Science and French & Francophone
- Fun Fact: Mackenzie rode every single metro line in Paris from start to finish for her senior thesis project!
Joining us from a previous intern classes:
Margaret ”Maggie” Bunch (Public Affairs Intern)
- College: University of Missouri
- Major: Journalism with a minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Fun Fact: Maggie was a 2022 International High School A Cappella Champion!
Lilia Smithson (Policy Intern)
- College: Centre College
- Major: Politics with a minor in History
- Fun Fact: Lilia is addicted to iced lattes, University of Kentucky Sports, and needlepointing!
Join us in giving a warm welcome to all the recent graduates and students who are joining Cornerstone this fall! If you’re interested in joining an upcoming intern class, you can learn more at cgagroup.com/internships