Cornerstone is excited to welcome our Spring 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.
This fall, we’ve selected 23 exceptional young professionals to join our federal team, alongside 10 state interns. 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 spring!
Continue reading below to meet our Spring 2026 Intern Class.
Faiza Ahmed (OpsWatch Intern)
- College: George Washington University
- Majors: International Affairs and Finance with a minor in Economics
- Fun Fact: Faiza speaks Spanish and Bangla!
Ryan Adams (Public Affairs Intern)
- College: University of California, Irvine (’25)
- Degree: Political Science and Social Policy
- Fun Fact: Ryan used to act when he was younger and worked as a background actor for Glee, Always Sunny in Philadelphia and others!
Cody Baynori (Appropriations Intern)
- College: Columbia University (’23)
- Degree: Political Science and English
- Fun Fact: Cody was a musical theater kid in high school and still loves seeing shows. Sweeney Todd is his favorite!
Kelly Chen (Policy Intern)
- College: George Washington University
- Majors: International Affairs and Political Science
- Fun Fact: Kelly loves reading about political science, history and social sciences in English, but only enjoys reading fiction in Chinese.
Heather Fabritze (Public Affairs Intern)
- College: Washington College (’25)
- Degree: English, Communication & Media Studies
- Fun Fact: In the summer of 2024, Heather interned for the Library of Congress!
Anna Hicks (Appropriations Intern)
- College: Furman University (’25)
- Degree: Politics and International Affairs; Economics
- Fun Fact: Anna loves hiking and backpacking. She is certified in wilderness advanced first aid and in the summers, she works as an outdoor adventure guide for teens.
Abdoulie Jeng (Operations Intern)
- College: University of Maryland
- Major: 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!
Kieran Kelly (Policy Intern)
- College: Georgia Institute of Technology
- Majors: Public Policy and Economics
- Fun Fact: Kieran owns a cat but is allergic!
David Kim (OpsWatch Intern)
- College: University of Southern California (’25)
- Degree: Political Science and Data Science
- Fun Fact: In high school, David backpacked the Camino de Santiago with his dad and brother!
Edwin Kusi (Operations Intern)
- College: George Mason University
- Major: Finance
- Fun Fact: Edwin loves to cook and is always researching new recipes!
Dhruv Lingala (Public Affairs Intern)
- College: American University
- Major: Political Science
- Fun Fact: Dhruv knows all the U.S. presidents by memory!
Naasei Lynn (Policy Intern)
- College: University of Notre Dame
- Major: Political Science with minors in Africana Studies and Education, Schooling & Society
- Fun Fact: Naasei is originally from Washington, D.C., but has lived in 6 states: Maryland, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado and Oregon.
Aabha Mantri (Policy Intern)
- College: University of Mississippi (’25)
- Degree: International Studies with minors in Global Health and Spanish
- Fun Fact: Aabha grew up in 4 different states (MS, AL, PA, NJ) and moved schools 6 times!
Noah Maxwell (Policy Intern)
- College: Princeton University (’24)
- Degree: History
- Fun Fact: Noah was in the top 0.01% of Stevie Wonder listeners on Spotify in 2025!
Kaitlyn Metz (Appropriations Intern)
- College: Clemson University (’25)
- Degree Political Science with a minor in Sustainability Studies
- Fun Fact: Kaitlyn used to work as a private chef for families in her community!
Olivia McQuail (Policy Intern)
- College: Georgetown University
- Major: Security Studies
- Fun Fact: Olivia once traveled across the United States in a homemade teardrop trailer with her boyfriend and two dogs to visit the national parks- her dogs have been to 21 states!
Elisabeth Nelson (Appropriations Intern)
- College: Georgetown University
- Major: International Politics with minors in Spanish and Economics
- Fun Fact: Elisabeth has 15 years of dance experience, including ballet, pointe, contemporary, jazz, tap and hip-hop!
Ben Oliver (Policy Intern)
- College: University of Mississippi (’24)
- Degree: Public Policy Leadership with minors in Philosophy and Political Science
- Fun Fact: Ben has been playing Baritone and Euphonium for 10 years!
Kate Stefancik (Operations Intern)
- College: Tulane University (’25)
- Degree: Political Science and International Development with a minor in Sociology
- Fun Fact: Kate loves any chance to be outdoors and enjoys activities like hiking, surfing and rock climbing!
Da’Riah Terrell (Policy Intern)
- College: Howard University
- Major: Political Science with a minor in Legal Communications
- Fun Fact: Da’Riah spent seven years running track and field, competing in the 200m, 400m, 4×2 and 4×4 relays!
Alexis White (Policy Intern)
- College: Louisiana State University (’25)
- Degree International Studies with minors in Political Science and French
- Fun Fact: Alexis attended a French Immersion school from kindergarten to eighth grade and speaks French fluently!
And joining Cornerstone’s state offices across the country…
Andrew Barry (Georgia Intern)
- College: Georgia Institute of Technology (YEAR)
- Degree: Economics and International Affairs
- Fun Fact: Andrew lived in Singapore for 3.5 years!
John Eccleston (Illinois Intern)
- College: University of Missouri (’19)
- Degree: Business Administration with a minor in Leadership and Public Service
- Fun Fact: John studied abroad and interned in China!
Emma Hodges (Iowa Intern)
- College: Iowa State University (’24)
- Degree: Political Science
- Fun Fact: Emma was on the Iowa State Dance Team in college!
Andrew “Drew” Irisari (Texas Intern)
- College: University of Texas at Austin
- Major: Government
- Fun Fact: Drew will be studying abroad in Australia after his Cornerstone internship!
Audrey McNeal (Georgia Intern)
- College: Barnard College of Columbia University (’24)
- Degree: Political Science
- Fun Fact: Audrey has worked with universities and students across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East!
And rejoining the firm from previous intern classes…
James Causey Jr. (Mississippi Intern)
- College: Delta State University
- Degree: Social Science Education
- Fun Fact: James is planning to make a YouTube Channel dedicated to fitness and faith!
Michael Lustri (Appropriations Intern)
- College: Boston College (’25)
- Degree: International Studies, Finance and Italian
- Fun Fact: Michael’s goal is to one day run the NYC marathon!
Lilia Smithson (Kentucky Intern)
- College: Centre College
- Majors: Politics and History
- Fun Fact: Lilia is deeply committed to Nespresso lattes and is currently training for a half-marathon!
Joey Szabo (Texas Intern)
- College: University of St. Thomas
- Major: Political Science
- Fun Fact: Joey had two pet ducks growing up!