Meet our summer 2024 college interns

This summer, GGWash welcomes Dorian Lofton and Dillon Frost to our team. Dorian and Dillon are recipients of the Roosevelt in Washington Fellowship, a program of the Roosevelt Institute that immerses undergraduates in public policy work in DC.

Dorian and Dillon are supporting our editorial, policy, and engagement programming. As we pursue our vision of a greater Washington region, we believe in the importance of making sure the next generation of leaders is at the table. We wanted to give Dorian and Dillon a chance to introduce themselves in their own words.

Dorian Lofton

Greetings! My name is Dorian Lofton, I’m a rising senior at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) studying Political Science. This summer, I’ll be helping GGWash research policy solutions for the housing crisis in the Washington region and helping out with the blog.

I am interested in public policy and how it impacts urban development. In my hometown of Detroit, investment in development is underway in the city, however, many native Detroit residents feel that their neighborhoods are not included. My objective for this internship is to learn about the success of implementing adequate public transportation in the DC area in order to translate it to Detroit.

The progression of Detroit serves as a motivator for me. Last summer, I worked with the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work to facilitate dialogues about race and ethnicity with high school students in the metropolitan area. This experience gave me insight into the lasting impacts of intentional de jure segregation in the metro area of Detroit.

As a fellow for the Roosevelt Network, I have spent four months learning about how the status quo is inadequate for the advancement of underprivileged communities. After graduation, I plan to work with my local government or an agency to help serve these communities. Eventually, to better understand how the law works, and how it can work for the people, I plan to attend law school and practice law in the public sector.

I am excited to work with Greater Greater Washington on urban development in the Washington region. I have learned so much about the DC area and I am thrilled to learn more!

Dillon Frost

Hey everyone! My name is Dillon Frost. In my role this summer I will be supporting GGWash events, helping the policy team prep for the National Week Without Driving, and learning as much as possible about how DC’s political structure works. This is my first time living in DC, and I am so excited to get to know this incredible city.

I grew up in Orange County, California, where driving is essentially the sole form of transportation. I then moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, for university, which has bus/streetcar transportation, but is mostly designed around cars. As a student, I was suddenly thrown into an environment where I was car free in a city with unreliable public transportation. It completely shifted my understanding of what it takes to get around without a car. Hence, New Orleans is where I started to become passionate about environmental justice, urban planning, and equitable transportation. Living in different lifestyles in two diverse cities has provided me with an idea of how important transportation and intentional development are in fostering a healthy community.

Currently, I’m a rising senior at Tulane University pursuing a double major in Political Science and Environmental Studies. Conducting my studies in New Orleans has reinforced the importance of not only equitable, but sustainable development in improving the livelihoods of community members because of its severe climate vulnerability. I hope to use what I’ve learned in university to find new policy solutions that link equitable development with sustainable development.

I went into my studies as an ecology major, and am still a huge animal/nature lover. I hope to incorporate my passion for nature and sustainability into my time here at DC. In my free time, I like to be outside as much as possible, ideally sitting with a good book or exploring the area by bike.