Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs' Garden State Fellowship (GSF) is conceived to simultaneously launch young practitioners into public policy careers and enhance capacity in New Jersey’s public interest sector to address critical systemic issues.

GSF is a post-graduate opportunity awarded to undergraduate seniors across majors through a competitive application process. Fellows will dedicate their fellowship year to research, advocacy, and other activities related to policy-making with their host organization. Concurrently, Fellows will participate in programming – skill-building workshops, topical conferences, and excursions statewide – to enhance their experience and build their capacities.

SPIA will select up to three fellows who will put their training to work at the frontier of policy making, building on their skills of social science research and effective writing while developing experience in policy advocacy, organizing, and implementation within a given policy domain. 

Applicants will indicate their preference among policy areas: housing, health, climate, education, criminal justice, immigration, economic justice, and the economy. Fellows will be selected by a competitive process. A committee of public servants, policy experts, change-makers, and scholars will review applications. Final employment decisions will be made by the nonprofit or agency.

Beyond their posted position, fellows will participate in extracurricular convenings and workshops.

Eligibility

• Graduating senior - all majors welcome
• Demonstrated interest in domestic public service and public policy
• Authorized to work in the US for the duration of the fellowship year 

Application Timeline

The 2025-26 Garden State Fellowship application opens January 2025.

Compensation

Fellows will earn an annual salary of $55,000 and receive a generous benefits package. SPIA will cover the cost of the fellows’ salaries plus $10,000 to compensate organizations for their brick-and-mortar expenses, IT, as well as staff supervision and professional development.

How to Apply

The 2025-26 Garden State Fellowship application opens January 2025. 

Applicants who identify as members of historically marginalized groups which include but are not limited to African American, Latinx, AAPI; women; people with disabilities; and gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender persons are particularly encouraged to apply. 

Lauren Aung

"My experience at the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ) so far has been incredible; I have applied the skills I cultivated at Princeton in a meaningful way, grown my understanding of political change, and deepened my commitment to social justice work.

At Princeton, I studied political science, and my research, reading, and writing skills have been extremely useful for me at the ACLU-NJ as a policy fellow. My work at ACLU-NJ is in criminal legal reform, and a key aspect of my work so far is researching and writing memorandums for legislators and for the general public. It has been extremely gratifying to see how political science can bolster criminal legal reform efforts through providing empirical evidence supporting policy change.

I focused my studies on social movements during my undergraduate education, as well as participated in racial justice organizing. My theory of change, consequently, is rooted in people power and collective action. Being exposed to the world of politics from an advocacy perspective has enhanced my understanding of political change and power. It has been sobering and useful to learn much about who holds power, why they hold it, and what it means to move people in order to achieve the world we want to see.

My co-workers have been involved in inspiring, successful campaigns that show me it is possible to make real positive change in public policy. They have fought for government transparency and free expression, and have prevented deportations and the over-policing of communities of color. Working with them has reaffirmed my commitment to social justice work. They show me it is possible to be in the fight for the long haul, and that it is both a privilege and a duty to make change. While in undergrad, I found comfort learning about previous generations that pushed their government and society toward equity, freedom, and justice. Now, I find comfort in working with people who push forward that legacy everyday, and I find hope in the belief I can lead my life in the same way."

Madison Linton

"The majority of the work that I have completed in my role so far has been focused on the Immigrant Trust Act (ITA), a critical bill for the codification of privacy protections for immigrant New Jerseyans, which was successfully introduced by Senator Gordon Johnson (D-37) to the State Senate on September 26. Within this campaign, I have been responsible for collaborating and coordinating with a number of internal colleagues and member organizations to create promotional materials, such as an accompanying op-ed, press release, and social media graphics, as well as taking the lead on planning a press conference. Through this work, I have gained a comprehensive understanding of the current state laws and policies in place to protect immigrants, and also how state lawmakers interact with and listen to not only their constituents, but also their advocates and organizers.

Simultaneously, I have been the point of contact and liaison for our organization on work regarding the threat of Delaney Hall reopening as an ICE detention center. Since initial employment, I have attended and presented at three community meetings in the Newark/Elizabeth area to further spread awareness, as well as taken the lead on creating informational flyers and comprehensive toolkits in both English and Spanish for canvassing purposes. In addition, I have participated in meetings with the Newark Corporation Counsel to determine best routes of action to delay or stop the expansion of ICE detention in New Jersey, and more specifically in Newark. This work in particular has definitely reinforced the public speaking skills I had developed during my time at Princeton, as well as my confidence in speaking on behalf of my organization.

Additionally, I have also been able to travel to a couple of scenario planning conferences/convenings as a representative of NJAIJ to discuss the implications of the results of the upcoming presidential election on future federal and state immigration policy. These events have given me the opportunity to connect with other individuals in my field, deepen my understanding of the policy space, as well as challenge my initial perception of cross-movement organizing and advocacy. Following these meetings, I relayed any new information that I had learned back to my team to then better prepare us for potential actions we may need to take at the state level in preparation for or in response to restrictive immigration policy and an increase in anti-immigrant rhetoric.

When beginning work in the advocacy sector, and specifically in immigration policy, there were a few things I had anticipated: a) it was going to be an adjustment compared to working in theory through academia; b) the work was going to be tough and harrowing at times, but rewarding; and c) being open to making mistakes and learning from others is critical. And while all of these things ring true, I now also feel that due to having lived experience working at the local and state level, I can better contribute to a national, and even international, level in the sphere of policy making and advocacy. And while my SPIA education gave me a lot of background on what effective policy is and how to best strategize the design and implementation of policy, nothing beats real-world experience, especially in a state you grew up in. Ultimately, I find that in order to work at either the national or international level, it is crucial that you commit time and effort to working alongside local communities; otherwise, you’re losing that humanistic factor to public service."

Olivia Ragan

"I started at Fair Share Housing Center (FSHC) in August, and the past four months have taught me plenty about their work and affordable housing in New Jersey more broadly. One of my biggest projects this fall wrapped up in early December when FSHC published a report called “Developing Effective Housing Plans in the Fourth Round: A Guide for Municipalities, Planners, Developers, Nonprofits, and Advocates” in partnership with the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey. This report details the process that will guide the next ten years of affordable housing production in New Jersey. I did the design which involved some trial and error, and I wrote up 10 examples of projects to demonstrate affordable housing mechanisms that municipalities can use when preparing their Housing Element and Fair Share Plans.

I have also worked on other internal and external communications projects, including creating presentations on FSHC’s work and writing internal memos about the history of affordable housing compliance in specific municipalities throughout the state. I anticipated more work with early parts of the policymaking process, but this year FSHC is focused on defending and implementing the significant housing legislation A4/S50 which passed in March, 2024. I’ve gotten insight into the nuances of implementation, and the complications of coordinating between a state and local level. The projects I work on are quite different from college assignments, but I appreciate how transferable skills like research and writing have been. The SPIA task force junior paper in particular emphasized brevity in addition to clarity, which are the most important qualities in writing for my work.

I am very grateful to my coworkers who have invited me to learn more about their work, attend meetings with them, and go watch them when they appear in court. This has given me the chance to learn in depth about the wide variety of actors involved in affordable housing in New Jersey – municipal governments, state agencies, affordable housing administrators, nonprofit developers, and advocacy groups. I have also gotten to know New Jersey cities in much more depth through attending court in Newark, Hackensack, and Trenton. On a personal level, I really enjoy my coworkers and the workplace environment, especially the office culture of bringing baked goods to share."

Admin: Cara Carpenito, Program Manager, Scholars in the Nation's Service Initiative (SINSI)