Inside the Process: Where Research Meets Impact.

The Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE) is a nonprofit think tank with the goal of empowering the next generation of policy leaders through offering training in nonpartisan policy research, writing, and thought leadership. ACE was created because its goal is to foster a world where the public, especially young people, are civically engaged and prepared to lead. 

ACE’s first cohort of student fellows began work in December 2020. Since then, ACE has expanded, working with interns from 168 universities across 42 states who have published a multitude of policy briefs on issues ranging from housing policy to environmental policy. 

Spotlight: Alyssa Hoffecker

ACE is led by an accomplished team of students and young professionals. This team includes Alyssa Hoffecker, the Director of Digital Marketing. In her role, Hoffecker oversees the marketing internship program and takes the lead in ACE’s digital strategy development, working to ensure that the work of Policy Fellows reaches the audiences the organization wants to engage. She recently graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and now works as a software developer.

Alyssa joined ACE in 2024 as a Marketing Intern herself. She helped establish ACE’s 2024 Election team, which has now evolved into the Current Events team. 

Now that you’ve gotten to know a bit about Alyssa and her ACE journey, let’s dive into our conversation to hear her insights about working with ACE in her own words.

Our Conversation with Alyssa

What does ACE mean to you?

ACE means giving young people the opportunity to empower themselves by giving access to resources to become informed in policy that matters to them. By becoming informed, you are creating an environment where you can have politically related discussions in an open manner, allowing yourself to hear all sides of the argument. ACE is building democracy one conversation at a time. 

Why did you originally join ACE, and has that changed over the years?

I originally joined ACE because it combined many of my interests, and I was passionate about the organization. In high school, I worked on student teams for election campaigns — and realized just how divided politicians, and their supporters, sometimes are from seeing eye to eye and having a common ground. I also had an Etsy shop that allowed me to explore my interests in marketing personally. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to go deeper into these areas, while also combatting the flaws I found in the political system.

While ACE’s mission has remained the same, most aspects of the organization have changed. We have built out our programs to create a much better experience for our interns and fellows, like hosting professional development events and building up our roles to give enhanced internships. As a leadership team, we have started to refine our strategic plan and build out our board. All in all, this allows us to go from an organization that started with a big goal and limited structure, to become an organization with the same mission but with the structure in place to help our students succeed. 

What is the main message of ACE that you hope our interns take away from their internship?

I always say that an internship is a stepping stone to your career, and I try to emphasize that we will give you the opportunity to explore new interests and pitch ideas [and give you] the support to launch them. What I have found amazing about ACE is the ability to try new things, not just as an individual, but with the organization. I want our interns to always know how much we value their perspectives, and that they will be given a seat at the table, if they want it. I hope they take away the support and value that we have in them as young minds that will change the future. 

How has being a part of ACE changed your perspective on civic engagement?

ACE has expanded my understanding of how much a politically informed generation can change the future. Having access to resources that expand your mind allows you to have the discussions with your peers that foster open dialogue and inspire the change we wish to see.

What’s struck me most as a leader in this organization is watching that ripple effect happen at scale, seeing Fellows from different campuses bring rigorous, nonpartisan research into rooms where political conversation used to shut down instead of open up. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but with the seeds of critical thinking and civil discourse that our Fellows are planting on campuses across the country, I’ve watched skepticism turn into curiosity and curiosity turn into real engagement. Leading at ACE has shown me that civic engagement isn’t just about casting a vote, but instead, building the habits of mind that make democracy work in between elections. That’s the perspective I carry with me now, and the one I hope our next generation of Fellows carries forward too.

Conclusion

Alyssa believes ACE gives “young people the opportunity to empower themselves by giving them resources to become informed in policies that matter.” She explains that while ACE’s goal has remained the same, she and other ACE leaders have been refining the experience for interns and the organization at large to ensure those goals are met more effectively.

Alyssa leaves us with a very important takeaway about interning with ACE: everyone will value your perspectives and will give you the opportunity to explore new interests. In addition, she underscores that working with ACE made her realize that civic engagement isn’t just about voting, but planting the seeds that allows curiosity and information to turn into a vote. Overall, Alyssa describes her experience with ACE in high regards, and we hope future interns feel their experiences are just as transformative!