group of students

Our Students

In Conversation.

Profiles October 08, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Austin Edwards MPP ’23

“My parents instilled in me the value of giving back to the community, not just in our home but also through our church. I was born in Trenton and saw some of the issues that are fairly normal in an inner city, a lot involving poverty. The symptoms include homelessness and food insecurity, but a lot of it stems from economic instability. I volunteered to address these issues, directly and indirectly, by feeding people, clothing people, and dealing with homelessness.

Billy Doyle

Profiles October 01, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Billy Doyle ’24

“My foundational years were during a time when Brexit was the presiding issue of everything in the UK. This issue dominated the news throughout those years when I was starting to develop an interest in public and international affairs and find the grounds for my ideology. Scottish independence influenced my views and my interest in the subject of policy as well — ideas around sovereignty and what it means to be a nation, how international relations have historically been altered, and how they might look in the future. These events shaped how I view international relations in the larger world.

Anna Blue MPA '24

Profiles September 23, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Anna Blue MPA ’24

“Going to school in Silicon Valley, I was constantly exposed to themes about democracy and technology. I always planned on going into the federal government, but after graduating from @Stanford, I did a huge 180 and ended up at a think tank where we did research on technology, journalism, and freedom of expression. I then spent a year in Estonia on a Fulbright research grant at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies at @UniTartu, focusing my research on e-governance.

Odette Overton MPA ’23

Profiles September 02, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Odette Overton MPA ’23

“I’m intuition oriented, curious, and driven to understand the world around me. In 2nd grade, I was asked to write a short story but instead wrote a research book on underwater animals complete with citations. Not much has changed since. I’m also drawn to decision-making and how everyone’s personal experiences shape their perspectives. These characteristics are likely what led me down an indirect path to policy. I’m originally from Los Angeles and went to @uscedu. Since then, I’ve held several positions, including working at a jury consulting firm for several years. But it wasn’t fulfilling, so I left and went on a bit of a sabbatical where I worked…

Claire Kaufman at the Capitol

Profiles July 22, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Claire Kaufman MPA '23

“When I first learned about climate change in high school, I couldn’t understand why so little had been done. The solution seemed simple enough: We all need clean air and clean water, and, to get there, we need clean energy. But the barriers were in the policy. I studied environmental economics and policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and then moved to Arizona to work on biodiversity and endangered species protection. However, my path wasn’t linear, and I suppose it never will be. I got very sick in 2017. Once I regained my strength, I decided to be a yoga teacher. I also worked at a cafe and led community workshops on sustainability…

Martina

Profiles July 15, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Martina Bergues MPA ’23

“I think it's very natural to have an interest in public policy when you are from a very unequal country, and growing up in São Paulo, Brazil, inequality is part of daily life. I think I was always searching for a career that would allow me to have an impact on reducing inequalities. Prior to @Princeton, I worked for the São Paulo city government for five years.

Axidi Iglesias '23

Profiles July 08, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Axidi Iglesias '23

“Growing up as part of a mixed-status family in Santa Ana, there were a lot of ICE raids in Southern California, and there were regular demonstrations as people were getting deported. Because my community is a low-income, predominantly Hispanic community, there are not a lot of opportunities to leave. I was able to go to the Brooks School in Boston through a program called “A Better Chance,” which changed my life.

Zainab Amjad

Profiles June 27, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Zainab Amjad MPA '22

Before I came to Princeton, I worked with governments in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Saint Lucia on implementing policy reform, specifically in sanitation and education. Governments spend a lot of time on getting policy right but not nearly enough on the implementation of reforms. I was in an exciting space. The chief minister of a province or prime minister of a country was directly backing the work of the teams I was part of, which gave us the runway to translate policies into action and results. I had memorable experiences in Punjab. We translated a solid waste management roadmap to cleaner cities. We spent time in the oddest of places that no one…

Jia Jun Lee

Profiles June 10, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Jia Jun Lee MPA ’22

Growing up in Southeast Asia in the ’90s, I experienced severe air pollution from forest fires, usually caused by forest clearing for palm oil plantations. I developed asthma and became passionate about the environment and how to make economic development sustainable without depleting your natural assets. I am a first-generation student. My father was the only person in his family to complete high school, and my mom didn't get the opportunity to go to college.

Abby Meyers

Profiles June 03, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Abby Meyers ’22

"Being at Princeton gives you a purpose to be better, to do your best work, but also to challenge yourself and make yourself a little bit uncomfortable in certain discussions where growth is the output. I experienced this both indirectly and directly in academics and sports. My first Junior Paper (JP) was on Black Lives Matter and Civil Rights protests, looking at the effects protests have on U.S. policy. That's been my main focus at SPIA because it's such a prevalent issue and one that’s grabbed people's attention. My classes were tailored to criminal justice and civil rights issues, discussing topics like the 2014 and 2020 protests, so I've taken…

A woman with long brown hair

Profiles June 03, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Valeria Torres-Olivares ’22

My family created Festival Cultural Latino to provide a space for Latine artisans, musicians, dancers, and restaurants to celebrate and be recognized.

Nitya Agrawal

Profiles May 28, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Nitya Agrawal MPA ’22

“Living globally helped me to think more critically about how much of a difference public policy can make in the economic and social contexts of places. I moved around a lot growing up — and lived in New York, Tokyo, Delhi, and Phoenix — which gave me exposure to vastly different economic, political, and social contexts. This got me interested in exploring a global career and studying international relations and, eventually, policy. Before coming to SPIA, I spent three years in India working with a team that was collaborating directly with the national government on informing their National Nutrition Mission. That's when I became passionate about…

Christian Potter

Profiles May 20, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Christian Potter ’22

“Prior to SPIA, I spent two summers on Capitol Hill working in the House of Representatives. I had an amazing time and saw some pretty important moments legislatively and the behind-the-scenes of how things work in the legislature.

Helene Benveniste

Profiles May 06, 2022

#Changemakers: Hélène Benveniste Ph.D. ’21

Climate-driven migration is having global impacts, something Hélène Benveniste Ph.D. ’21 is acutely aware of thanks to her research. There are an increasing number of people who need to move and don’t have the resources to do so. Helping these hidden communities should be top of mind for policymakers. In this episode of #Changemakers, she discusses her research on climate change policy, as well as the challenges she faces as a woman in academia. She also shares advice for anyone considering a Ph.D. at SPIA. Benveniste is a postdoctoral environmental fellow at the Harvard University Center for the Environment at the Harvard Kennedy School. She…

Cassidy Barnes

Profiles April 08, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Cassidy Barnes ’22

“Parts of my identity — from being a woman to being low income to being black — were powerful factors in shaping the way I see the world. Everyone's views are shaped by their life experiences, and mine is often going to be one that's underrepresented. If I want my opinion to be heard, I'm going to have to be the one to speak up. That’s why I got involved in the Scholars Institute Fellows Program via Princeton's Emma Bloomberg Center for Access and Opportunity, which is a group dedicated to helping first-generation and low-income students.