Harrisburg – Danielle Burkhart of Windber is working for the Pennsylvania Commission for Women as part of a 15-week internship sponsored by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).
The daughter of Jeanne Huff and Joseph Burkhart, Bukrhart is majoring in communication media (broadcasting), with a minor in political science, at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. She is one of 11 students participating in The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS) program, which provides students the opportunity to work in all areas of state government while earning a full semester’s worth of credits.
The semester-long program invites students from each of the 14 PASSHE universities to participate.
Burkhart is a 2006 graduate of Greater Johnstown Area High School. She and the other students participating in the program will attend several academic seminars during their Spring semester internship. Each of the students also will complete an individualized research project as part of the program’s requirements.
More than 400 students from PASSHE universities have participated in THIS since the program began in 1989, each gaining valuable insight into the workings of state government at the policy-making level. Interns have worked with dozens of state agencies, as well as in the governor’s office, the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Office of Attorney General.
PASSHE students interested in participating in THIS in a future semester may obtain information on the program by contacting their individual campus coordinator or their university’s cooperative or internship office, or by calling the Dixon University Center at (717) 720-4089.

With more than 112,500 students, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. The 14 PASSHE universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. More than 405,000 PASSHE alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.