When Hope Ignites New York collegian Amari Haynes came across a posting for an internship with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Public Safety on LinkedIn, she wasn’t sure what to expect.
“I realized what I went through wasn’t just personal, it connected to broader patterns in society.”
“Sometimes you just apply on a whim,” she said. “I was nervous, but I went for it.” Her decision led to a summer filled with eye-opening experiences in one of the nation’s, and the world’s, most complex public safety systems.
Amari, now a senior at Stonehill College in Massachusetts, double majoring in criminology and sociology, didn’t arrive at college with a clear plan: she took an introductory criminal justice course just because it sounded interesting. That class changed everything. Pairing it with sociology helped her understand her own childhood experiences growing up in the Bronx, where her family faced domestic violence and financial instability. “It was revolutionizing,” she explained. “I realized what I went through wasn’t just personal, it connected to broader patterns in society.”
That insight guided her into the field of public safety. At MOPS, Amari quickly learned her internship would not be about sitting behind a desk in City Hall. Instead, she was out in neighborhoods across the city, listening to residents and collecting feedback through the Every Block Counts initiative. “People asked for simple things like streetlights, after-school programs, and community resources,” she recalled. Her team organized those requests into actionable projects, showing her how city agencies and residents can work together to help their communities.
She also contributed to a retail theft task force in Manhattan, working with multiple agencies, from the District Attorney’s office to the NYPD. Seeing multi-agency coordination firsthand showed her the complexity of addressing crime, connecting everything from prevention strategies to enforcement policies. Even as an intern, Amari got to offer input, like how food pantries and community resources could help reduce theft rooted in poverty.
Amari Haynes (center) with other interns in front of the Office of Minority Leader of the Republican delegation in the New York City Council.
“My biggest advice for young scholars is to find your passion, build connections, and most importantly, fight for change as Hope Ignites has prepared us to.”
Among her most surprising lessons was discovering how many civilians, not just uniformed officers, play crucial roles in public safety. She also witnessed advanced technologies, from drone surveillance to citywide command centers and gunshot detection technology, that showed New York’s position as a leader in law enforcement innovation.
Looking ahead, Amari plans to pursue a career in national security, with aspirations of joining the Department of Homeland Security or the FBI. She’s determined to stay in the field, advocating for her home community but also tackling challenges on a larger scale.
Amari Haynes with her supervisor at the Fox 5 News studio in New York City for a public promo spot.
AUTHOR
Martin Totland is the Communications and Media Coordinator for Hope Ignites Network Headquarters.
Her advice for young people considering public service internships is clear:
“A major part of public service is being actively involved in your community. Experiences like this matter because they allow individuals to understand what impacts their community the most,” Amari said.
She continued: “Working at the Mayor’s Office, I was able to sit in important meetings and engage in meaningful conversations with influential people who make decisions that shape our city. This is a crucial aspect of public service, as these important people gain a perspective of life through the eyes of the youth. As a Hope Ignites scholar, public service allowed me to use my voice to advocate for those who needed to be heard. My biggest advice for young scholars is to find your passion, build connections, and most importantly, fight for change as Hope Ignites has prepared us to.”