Experiential Impact Spotlight: Kasey Lakin

Where do you consider your place of origin?
I currently live with my fiancé in Connecticut, though I’m a proud Massachusetts native and lived in NYC for many years.

Which Policy School degree do you have?
I graduated in 2026 with a Master of Public Policy (MPP).

What drew you to the Policy School?
I grew up in Massachusetts in a family of lawyers, and from an early age I knew I wanted to pursue work that positively impacts people’s lives. Watching my father advocate for others throughout his career inspired me to seek a path where I could create meaningful change. After moving to New York City and beginning my career in marketing, I realized I was missing that sense of purpose and was looking for a way to make a greater public impact.

Through extensive research and conversations with my family, I discovered that public policy was the missing piece that brought together my interests, strengths, and professional experience. It offered the opportunity to combine my background in communications with my passion for advocacy and systems-level change. As a former Northeastern University undergraduate, returning to Northeastern for my master’s was an easy decision. I knew the program’s experiential approach would allow me to build practical skills while making a meaningful impact in my home state of Massachusetts.

What policy issues or areas of research are you focused on?
I entered my master’s program with an open mind and the goal of exploring a wide range of policy areas. Throughout the program, I found myself consistently drawn to research and writing focused on public health, women’s health, and education issues. These experiences helped shape my interest in health policy and ultimately led me to pursue a concentration in Health Policy and Management.

How has your personal background shaped your policy interests and passions?
Growing up in a family of lawyers, I learned early on the importance of speaking up for myself and standing up for what I believe in. Combined with a genuine curiosity about people and the world around me, those experiences evolved into a passion for advocating for others and creating meaningful change. To me, public policy is the mechanism that empowers communities to turn their values into action and drive lasting impact. That ability to help people shape the systems that affect their lives aligns closely with the values that have guided me throughout my life.

Where did you complete your Policy School co-op?
I completed my co-op remotely at the Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA).

What kind of support or mentoring did you receive prior to and during your co-op?
During my co-op, I felt incredibly supported by the leadership team at SVPA. Because the organization was founded by a Northeastern graduate and employs many Northeastern alumni, there was a strong understanding of the co-op experience and a shared commitment to mentoring students. That common connection made it easy to build meaningful relationships and created an environment where I felt encouraged to learn, contribute, and grow professionally.

What skilld did you develop during your co-op?
I sharpened my research and writing skills as well as my ability to take dense policy documents or news articles and condense them to a social post or one page press release.

What do you consider the highlight of your co-op experience?
I’m especially proud of the work I did covering AI policy during my co-op, as it was an emerging and rapidly evolving area throughout my six months with the organization and continues to change today. I had the opportunity to research and develop multiple AI policy statements on behalf of SVPA, helping the organization articulate its position on important policy issues. I also participated in coalition meetings with other nonprofits focused on advocating for AI safety, which gave me valuable insight into how organizations work together to influence policy and drive broader conversations around emerging issues.

What impact did your work make on your host organization, the community, or beyond?
The organization does such powerful work, and they foster an inclusive culture that empowers each employee to contribute to that work. The advocacy communications and policy work I did at SVPA allowed me to make a direct impact on the public by spreading awareness on issues that may have gone unnoticed.

How did your co-op experience change you?
I learned so much from this experience, and it helped clarify that I’m meant to be working in the public policy and advocacy space. It unlocked a passion in me that I had not felt in a long time in a professional setting and further motivated me to continue this type of social impact work.

If you were talking with a prospective student or potential co-op host, what is the one aspect you would want them to know about the value of experiential learning?
As someone who has completed four co-ops through Northeastern, I wholeheartedly believe that experiential learning balanced with classroom learning is the best way to learn. While the classroom allows for learning frameworks and inspires creative thinking, working within an organization teaches you how to apply those concepts in real-world situations and grounds classroom knowledge in practical application. The combination of both creates a deeper understanding than either could on its own. Experiential learning allows you to learn by doing, develop confidence in your abilities, and gain practical skills that prepare you for your career before graduation.

What are you dreaming of for the future? What do you hope to accomplish?
In the short term, I hope to work at a lobbying or public affairs firm where I can work with a variety of public sector clients and gain exposure to a wide range of policy issues. I’m excited to continue exploring different areas of public policy as I discover where I can make the greatest impact.

In the long term, I see two paths that are equally exciting: finding a policy area or organization I’m deeply passionate about and dedicating my career to that mission, or continuing to work as a consultant, partnering with nonprofits and mission-driven organizations across a range of issues. No matter where my career leads, my ultimate goal is to do meaningful work, advocate for others, and contribute to positive, lasting change in people’s lives.