By Stan Paul

A central and unique aspect of UCLA Luskin’s Public Affairs undergraduate major is the capstone requirement, a three-quarter project combining immersive learning experiences with a wide variety of settings in and outside of the University.

Jennifer Buckley was one of the Luskin class of 2025 displaying work at the capstone showcase held on June 4 in UCLA’s Carnesale Commons. As an incoming student, the Washington State native she said she explored traditional majors including economics and political science but finally chose public affairs.

“Actually, the capstone was one of the elements of the Public Affairs program that drew me to it, she said explaining, “It’s one of the only majors that offers, in my opinion, a direct application of the skills that you learn in real time through the capstone internship.”

Through the Public Affairs capstone, students can connect with community-based organizations, regional governments, and private companies, or pursue projects through the University of California’s international, Washington, D.C., or Sacramento programs. Rebecca Crane, associate director of undergraduate education at Luskin, said that some students work with Luskin research centers — one way to connect with faculty — noting students have worked with centers including the Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, the Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI), and the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies.

Buckley’s interest in energy policy, the basis of her capstone, took her to South Carolina where she spent a summer working for the Palmetto Promise Institute located in the state’s capital, not far from her grandparents. While there, she worked on a number of projects related to energy policy and had the opportunity to attend meetings with legislators and policy makers.

“I realized just how much of a need there is for strong energy policy in South Carolina. They’re at this kind of this crisis point where they have a grid that isn’t able to support the growing population and the growing energy demand. About 55% of their energy is from nuclear, which is pretty surprising,” she said.

Buckley said that the South Atlantic state also relies heavily on coal and fossil fuels, but she added, “They’re starting to transition away from it, but there’s a real need for strong energy policy that supports the increase in demand and encourages renewable energy to come into play as well.”

“The showcase is always a blast because of the diversity of projects and interests,” said Michael Lens, chair of Luskin undergraduate programs and professor of urban planning and public policy. “Our staff does an amazing job of cultivating relationships with community partners so the students have opportunities that are vetted and appropriate for an immersive year-long project.”

After identifying her topic, Buckley started producing work supporting bills in the state legislature. Working for Palmetto, she authored blogs, reports and opinion pieces she thought would be beneficial to the state and its residents. Some of her writing was picked up by South Carolina newspapers, and one of her energy pieces, she said, was incorporated into the most recent energy bill passed by the South Carolina Senate.

“My objective was to see how many eyes on energy policy I could get in South Carolina,” Buckley said. “That’s how I got connected, and that summer experience was really what I wanted to continue for my capstone.”

During her time as a Public Affairs major, Buckley was able to take advantage of cross-listed graduate-level offerings at Luskin and earn Public Affairs major credits in Prague as part of a legal internship through UCLA’s global internship program.

“I was studying abroad with other public affairs majors. It was a little group of us all in Prague, which is kind of cool.”

That’s another unique aspect of the Luskin undergrad experience. Buckley said that students in the Public Affairs major are “bonded by a shared desire to make a change and make an impact and make a difference… it’s kind of a current that runs through the undergrad community.”

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