Our Community

In Conversation.

group of students

group of students

"I've found that being willing to try new things, even if they involve risk, has made a big difference in my work."

Angel Padilla, MPA '13

Community Profile April 21, 2023

#PolicyProfile: Olesya Shmagun MPP '23

“I was born and raised in Russia and was lucky to be born during a short democratic period. From an early age, I heard how important democratic institutions are, and for me, media was a way of doing public service to my community. When I joined the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) in 2015, it still was quite a small organization, mostly covering Eastern European countries like Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova — countries considered to be highly corrupt. However, our stories about international money laundering often showed that Western countries provided the necessary infrastructure for kleptocrats from countries like mine. In 2016…

Community Profile April 14, 2023

#PolicyProfile: Kate Johnston MPP '23

“After receiving my graduate degree from King's College London, I traveled through the Middle East, from Istanbul through Turkey, Syria, Jordan, the OPTs, and Israel to Tel Aviv. I fell in love with the region and always wanted to return. I had that opportunity when I started working for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). My first job in the FCDO was managing the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund for the Middle East, which supported countries at risk of conflict, experiencing conflict, and post-conflict reconstruction.

Community Profile April 07, 2023

#PolicyProfile: Umer Siddique MPP '23

“My fascination with diplomacy stems from growing up at a time when many global events were taking place all around me. Perhaps that led to my desire to travel and experience the world. I think when you live in a new place and immerse yourself in its culture and environment, you inevitably transform and acquire something meaningful to bring back with you. It's a journey of self-enrichment and perhaps self-discovery as well. I’ve worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan for nearly 16 years, including diplomatic assignments at Pakistan’s Mission to the United Nations in New York, working in Turkey, and traveling to several other parts of…

Madison Mellinger pictured while traveling

Community Profile March 31, 2023

#PolicyProfile: Madison Mellinger '23

“Having a mother who completed college online while I was in middle school greatly impacted how I view the immense value of education and the on-campus experience. Being from an under-resourced rural community, I don't think I would've been motivated to apply to a place like Princeton if I didn't have her example. I’ve since had so many opportunities to meet new people and learn about new cultures, as well as tell stories about my own rural upbringing, raising pheasants and turkeys, training hunting dogs, and hunting in South Central Pennsylvania. A lot of the work I've done at Princeton focuses on education access and policy as it relates to rural…

Community Profile March 24, 2023

#PolicyProfile: Will Feeney MPP '23

"As a child, I loved trains and found it frustrating that MARTA — the mass transit system in Atlanta — didn't come to my house. As I got older and started commuting, I learned about urban planning, and though the way Atlanta is set up is typical for a lot of American cities, it's not typical for human beings. I went to the University of Virginia to study both government and urban planning, and after graduating, I moved to Washington, D.C. with the eventual goal of working on Capitol Hill. I applied for and received an internship in Congressman John Lewis’s office, and they hired me a few months later. Transportation, education, immigration, and foster…

Yamini Sarangi MPP '23 outside of SPIA

Community Profile March 17, 2023

#PolicyProfile: Yamini Sarangi MPP '23

“I spent the initial nine years of my career working in some of the most remote tribal-dominated areas in the state of Odisha in India. My work was primarily in development and revenue administration with the goal of implementing various state government projects. Many of these were health-related, including those regarding maternal and child health where, along with the Chief District Medical Officer of the district, we would review the implementation of these public health projects. During those years, I got the direct experience of seeing how socioeconomic status affects health outcomes, and after completing my field postings, I opted to work in…

Community Profile March 10, 2023

#PolicyProfile: Mikala Parnell '23

“I lived in the South most of my life, often in suburban and predominantly white communities, and I was very aware of the space that I was in. I was taught from a young age the importance of advocating for the needs of myself and my community of Black women, especially in spaces where we often go unacknowledged. I brought that service and advocate mindset into my studies at Princeton, and it has really affected the types of things that I want to research and want to work on in the future.

Ali Alleile MPP ’23

Community Profile March 03, 2023

#PolicyProfile: Ali Alleile MPP ’23

I grew up in the Deir Ezzor province in Northeastern Syria, near the Iraqi border. We didn’t expect the Syrian civil war in 2011. I remember the moment when my brother asked me to turn the TV on, and we saw the breaking news. As an Arabic family, we don't believe in weapons or military factions, so when the revolution began in 2011, I searched for a way to take part in the revolution without being a military member. I graduated in 2012 from Al-Furat University with a degree in Arabic language, and the revolution needed someone who could communicate with audiences in all countries within the Middle East. From 2011 to 2013, I conducted interviews over…

Joshua Coan '24

Community Profile February 17, 2023

#PolicyProfile: Joshua Coan ’24

I took a gap year after high school and had the chance to play semi-pro volleyball in the Netherlands for a few months. Volleyball is a big part of my life and my identity. Getting to play at the collegiate level on the @PrincetonVolley team is such an amazing honor. It allows me to stay active and stay healthy, but also, it fosters a sense of community. When I was in sixth grade, I had a sports injury that required surgery on my ankle. The doctor had a great impact on me and sparked my interest in healthcare. I'd always been interested in science, and as I got older, I wanted to be in a profession where my main goal was helping others.

Kelley T. Jones Ph.D. Candidate

Community Profile February 13, 2023

#PolicyProfile: Kelley T. Jones Ph.D. Candidate

"I’m active-duty military, and I’ve been in the @USNavy for more than 20 years. By trade, I’m known as a ship driver, which is a Surface Warfare Officer. Most recently, while at sea, I finished the opportunity to command the USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) out of Rota, Spain. Our mission was ballistic missile defense in support of Europe. When not out to sea, I’ve had the opportunity to be the aide-de-camp to the Secretary of the Navy, and under his leadership, the team traveled quite a bit. I’ve been throughout Africa and Europe, hitting all but two continents.

Adam Sigelman MPP ’23

Community Profile February 03, 2023

#PolicyProfile: Adam Sigelman MPP ’23

“When I first graduated from college, I was a consultant in the private sector for a few years. I enjoyed the work and thought it was interesting intellectually, but I wanted to do something where I feel like I'm engaging with society, engaging with the world, and trying to leave whatever small imprint I can. I began working with the U.S. State Department in 2010 as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, and in that position, I have served mostly in the Middle East. I've done tours in Yemen, Jerusalem, Algeria, and Morocco, and I specialize in what is called public diplomacy. I like to say that we're the hearts and minds people. We engage with foreign…

Community Profile January 20, 2023

#PolicyProfile: Samuel Lyman MPP ’23

“I grew up watching ‘The West Wing,’ where Rob Lowe plays a White House speechwriter named Sam Seaborn. His character is what first piqued my interest in the profession. From an early age, I loved writing, and I loved politics—so speechwriting seemed like a natural fit. Using words to move policy and shape public opinion sounded like a dream job. As a political science student at Brigham Young University, I worked as an intern on Capitol Hill for Senator Orrin Hatch and was then hired after the internship ended. Sen. Hatch gave me opportunities, first, to write his jokes and then, eventually, talking points, press statements, op-eds, and speeches. In…

Nicholas Lim before a Princeton swim meet.

Community Profile January 13, 2023

#PolicyProfile: Nicholas Lim ’24

“I’m originally from Hong Kong, and that’s where I was during the COVID-19 pandemic. I became really interested in the social dynamics of the pandemic because Hong Kong had much stricter regulations and was in lockdown for much longer than other countries. I'm taking a health policy class with Professor Wailoo about the history of pandemics and how policy can prevent future pandemics. I'm also interested in the environment and climate change. This past summer, I worked with Professor Elke Weber on COVID and climate change perception in the U.S. and how that affects policy. Obviously, climate change is particularly relevant to my generation.

Joe Shipley

Community Profile December 10, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Joe Shipley MPA ’26

“Both of my parents are journalists, and I learned a lot from the way that they tried to put truth and objectivity ahead of their own personal preferences. I also saw them spend a lot of time working on behalf of others. I also grew up in Brooklyn with an hour and a half — each way — between my home and my school, so I got really interested in public transit and walkability. In high school, I interned at the New York City Transit Museum, and in college, I got to live out my dream of working for the MTA. They let me ride the train simulator that they train the drivers on. I was really inspired by my bosses at the MTA.

Brent Efron pictured outside of SPIA.

Community Profile November 19, 2022

#PolicyProfile: Brent Efron MPA ’24

“I grew up in a reform Jewish community outside of Boston, and one thing we learned from a very young age in reform Hebrew school is something called “Tikkun Olam,” which translates to “repair of the world.” We learn that it's our duty to fix the problems of the world. That really stuck with me, and I think about it a lot when I see injustice or things that are broken. When I see bad things happening, I have a responsibility to do something. Most recently, I was able to do so by working for the Environmental Protection Agency as the Special Assistant to the Associate Administrator for Policy. As young people, we grew up learning about climate change…