Michaela Andreozzi joined Brown’s Urban Education Policy (UEP) master’s program intending to find an internship focused on prison education. But after being introduced to UEP alums Madalyn Ciampi AM '17, Rachel Palumbo AM '21, and the work of Providence Promise during one of her summer courses, she decided to switch gears. 

“I loved their mission and really wanted to work with them,” Michaela said.

Providence Promise is a non-profit organization and College Savings Account program dedicated to helping parents save for their children’s post-secondary education through financial planning and college preparatory workshops. The backbone of their multi-pronged approach is helping parents and guardians with Providence Public School and Charter School students open a 529 CSA.

As a relatively new organization, Providence Promise had yet to undergo causal research evaluating the success of its efforts. Michaela identified this gap during her internship and decided to research the impacts of similar CSA programs. Her capstone, titled “Assessing the Impact of Providence (PVD) Promise (and similar College Savings Account programs) on Students and Families in Their Community,” blends theory and practice, allowing policymakers to make decisions concerning CSA programs and helping Providence Promise to demonstrate its efficacy to families and donors.

Michaela utilized interviews, surveys, and data analysis to examine the effectiveness of PVD Promise. 

“Through this research, I aimed to highlight the potential of CSAs to create more equitable opportunities for students from underprivileged backgrounds by addressing financial barriers to higher education,” Michaela said. “By demonstrating the positive outcomes associated with PVD Promise, my findings can inform policymakers and educators about the effectiveness of CSAs as tools for promoting educational equity.”

Based on a literature review and preliminary survey results, Michaela predicts that the treatment group who received support from PVD Promise will demonstrate stronger social-emotional development, financial literacy, and parent expectations than the control group. Michaela stressed the importance of the social-emotional findings, noting that “previous research indicated CSAs have significant positive effects on the social-emotional development of students, particularly from economically disadvantaged families.”

In addition to using the results of Michaela’s study to encourage further family engagement, PVD Promise hopes to leverage the findings to support the program's expansion to other cities, showcasing the positive outcomes to promote educational equity and assist more students and families on a larger scale.

Her internship was deeply rewarding and allowed her to gain confidence and experience the non-profit sector. Reflecting on the overall experience, Michaela emphasized the special relationships that developed from her time at PVD Promise and as a part of the UEP cohort. 

“I have made great lifelong friendships with people who stimulate my brain and push me to constantly learn and grow. Between the professors, my internship supervisors Madalyn and Rachel, who are UEP alums, and my classmates, I have never been surrounded by such love and support.”
 

Favorites:

Memory: "I always tell people that I can not pick out a specific memory from UEP, so I focus on the feeling. It is all of the small happy moments in this program, and when I think of UEP, I will forever feel warm and supported." 

Event: "I loved the events with the MAT students. I see UEPs every day, so when we can all mingle with students we don’t know as well and hear their experiences, it's awesome." 

Place to study: "I got my best work done at the education building with my soundproof headphones, but when I wanted to romanticize the Brown graduate student life I went to the John Hay Library. It is so beautiful."  

Place to eat near campus: "The yummiest food close to campus has to be Soban Korean BBQ. I love their bibimbap bowl. I usually Snack Pass it ahead of time. If you want to sit down somewhere else and study, I recommend Sydney Cafe. I get their dirty chai latte and a Caprese sandwich. It's cute and has a great view for people-watching."