Nonprofit Expo connections, internship launch political career for O’Neill alum

Nathaniel Massy (BSPA’18) keeps a fast pace as he walks through the halls of the Indiana Statehouse.

“Hold on, I have a senator who needs something,” he says, pausing briefly to address the critical work of the lawmakers he serves.

Indiana’s 2025 legislative session is in full swing. As a legislative assistant, that means Massy has to keep up with the hustle and bustle of the policymaking process. It can be an intense career, but it’s one he’s grateful to have found.

“I never thought I would be here,” he admits.

At the beginning of his college career, his doubts were rooted in uncertainty. He started focusing on a business path, but it wasn’t what he had hoped it would be.

It was around that same time—during the 2015–16 election cycle—that he and so many others began developing an interest in politics.

“It was the first election cycle I had really followed, and I thought there was some crazy stuff going on,” he says. “We needed to do something.”

That gave him the heading he needed—and he made the switch to O’Neill.

“It was an immediate night and day difference,” he recalls. “I felt so much more connected to the people in my classes. I was more interested in the coursework. It just felt like the right fit for me.”

The following year, Massy started looking for an internship. He had heard about the Nonprofit Expo the O’Neill School and other schools hosted and decided to go.

“There were a lot of opportunities and places I didn’t even know were potential landing spots for someone in my major,” he says. “The Nonprofit Expo opened my eyes and got me thinking about where I could go.”

While he applied to several organizations for an internship, there was one that had his focus: an internship with the Indianapolis office for then-U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly. It’s the one he wanted, and the one he secured.

“I started doing a lot of the constituent services work, talking with folks about case work, their opinions on issues, hearing from people all over the state, including towns I didn’t even know existed,” he says.

Massy was hooked.

“I just really fell in love with the work, I really did,” he says, smiling.

He says the staff supported him and helped open doors and make connections he doubts he could have secured on his own, including another major step toward his current career.

He first learned about a statehouse internship with Senate Democrats in his O’Neill courses, but it was a Donnelly staffer who encouraged him to apply and offered to help him through the process.

“The statehouse internship is such an amazing learning opportunity because you get a front-row seat to see how laws are made,” he explains. “You gain a fundamental understanding that can impact whatever field you enter, whether it’s government, nonprofits, or something else.”

In his current position, he’s on the other side of the internship and gets to be the one to provide guidance to students. He says while they’ve had many impressive interns over the years, there’s one group that stands out: O’Neill students.

That’s why he helps recruit student interns when he can, including attending the 2024 Nonprofit Expo as an exhibitor.

“The quality of our O’Neill School interns is really in the top tier,” he says. “O’Neill provides such a tremendous pipeline for us as staffers and our caucus. It’s really amazing.”

And while he admits the internship is a demanding one—requiring 40 hours of work on top of a student’s courses—he stresses the staff is supportive and the payoff is worth it. After all, Massy is a real-life example of how impactful combining a statehouse internship and an O’Neill education can be.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for O’Neill and the opportunities they provided for me, and their dedication to connecting coursework with internships and careers,” he says.  “I didn’t know what I was looking for when I started off, but O’Neill helped me find it. Now, I’m in a career I love, and it’s something I didn’t even expect when I started at O’Neill. I’m incredibly grateful.”

 

To learn more about the internship Massy complete with the Indiana Senate Democrats, visit this link.

To learn more about an internship with the Indiana House Democrats, visit this link.

To learn more about an internship with the Indiana Senate Republicans, visit this link.

To learn more about an internship with the Indiana House Republicans, visit this link.