A new fellowship at Stanford University is offering students the chance to gain firsthand experience in rural communities, aiming to bridge the growing divide between urban and rural America. The People, Politics, and Places Fellowship, run by the Hoover Institution’s Center for Revitalizing American Institutions (RAI), places students in rural areas for immersive internships.
Stanford senior Jeannette Wang spent six weeks in Viroqua, Wisconsin, as part of the program. Her experiences included helping a local farmer herd sheep and learning about the challenges and values that shape rural life. “Being in that environment, I learned there are things that just need to get done – like, the sheep are not going to move themselves,” Wang said. “That’s why it’s so important that our systems and infrastructures – from schools to health care – work when people need them.”
The fellowship seeks to deepen students’ understanding of how geography influences identity and beliefs. Brandice Canes-Wrone, Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow at Hoover and faculty director of RAI, explained: “In conjunction with us becoming a more polarized society, Americans have increasingly sorted themselves into like-minded communities. The People, Politics, and Places Fellowship enables students to understand on the ground some of the issues facing these areas – by showing up, listening first, and pitching in on the work these communities are already doing. In doing so, the fellowship lets students experience a new kind of civic presence.”
Thomas Schnaubelt, executive director of RAI and a Wisconsin native who grew up on a farm, said: “We hope this fellowship will help students go beyond abstract conceptions of the American experience and instead, see for themselves the richness of remote and rural life.” He added: “Campus dialogue is essential, but trust is rebuilt through proximity.”
The year-long program begins with spring workshops before summer internships at sites such as Thoreau College in Wisconsin or Tidelines Institute in Alaska. In fall, participants share their insights with other Stanford students through discussions about topics like the rural-urban divide.
Schnaubelt has previously worked to connect Stanford students with rural experiences during his time as executive director of the Haas Center for Public Service from 2009 to 2022. After noticing a disconnect between urban and rural students on campus—such as misunderstandings about daily life or differences in academic preparation—he helped organize gatherings for rural students following the 2016 election. These efforts led to founding the Stanford Rural Club (officially known as the Stanford Rural Engagement Network) in 2018.
Wang described her time in Viroqua—a town with around 4,500 residents—as eye-opening both socially and politically. She noted that while political views varied widely among residents, shared values such as self-determination were more unifying than politics itself.
“Because the land has hills on it, you have to farm it differently, and in some ways people self-select to stay and live there,” Wang said. She also observed that disagreements within small towns did not always lead to partisan conflict: “One idea I keep returning to in political science is that you can’t have a productive argument unless you’re on the same plane; you need a shared foundation,” she said.
Reflecting on her experience after returning from Wisconsin, Wang questioned common assumptions about an ‘average’ American: “The news often talks about ‘the average American,’ but I don’t think there is one,” she said. “There’s unity amid plurality – we’re all just people. Fundamentally what we all want is the same thing: We all just want to be able to live our lives well, and the way we want to live it.”
Brandice Canes-Wrone also serves as professor of political science at Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences.
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