Current Students

Jack is an experienced public policy professional and native Texan. Jack graduated from Yale University in 2022 with a B.A. in economics and additional interests in data science and international politics. After a short stint as an outdoor wilderness guide, Jack entered the public arena in the service of a bipartisanship-oriented Member of Congress. In his role as a Legislative Assistant, Jack analyzed legislation relating to poverty and opportunity in America, specifically focusing on affordable housing access, immigration and refugee policy, as well as democratic strengthening. He coordinated the introduction of almost 20 bipartisan legislative bills related to these critical issues. Through dialogue with humanitarian advocates and independent study, Jack became interested in the possibility of pursuing international development as a career, combining many longstanding personal and professional interests. At Princeton, Jack hopes to enhance his skills in economic analysis, development practice, and foreign language in order to prepare himself for a career in evidence-based poverty alleviation at an international development organization.

Teddy studied Economics, Public Policy, and Data Science at the University of Chicago. In that time, he did research on education and housing issues at the Urban Education Institute, the Aspen Institute, and the Paul Douglas Institute. Prior to Princeton SPIA, he worked at Boston Consulting Group where he primarily supported state government clients across topics including public health, public transit, higher education, and inclusive economic development. After graduation, he intends to work directly in government to help the state more effectively redistribute resources and deliver services to people that need them. In summer 2025, he interned at the City of Detroit's Housing and Revitalization Department where he helped inform their strategy for using affordable housing to develop mixed-income neighborhoods. Teddy grew up in Davis, California, and considers Chicago his second hometown. He loves music and spent his pre‐SPIA summer recording an album with his band The Front Desk.

Before coming to Princeton, Wonkyung worked at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris as a Young Associate. Her work focused on tackling discrimination and inequality through evidence-based policies. She contributed to key projects on anti-discrimination legislation across OECD countries and gender statistics in Egypt, while also serving as a liaison for the Norwegian delegation during the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting. Wonkyung holds a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in women’s studies from Ewha Womans University in South Korea. During her undergraduate years, she studied abroad in Norway and Canada, deepening her interest in international policy and social equity. At Princeton, she hopes to explore ways to secure sustainable funding mechanisms so that critical social policies can thrive – regardless of shifting political and economic conditions. She also looks forward to learning more about inclusive development, particularly in countries like South Africa. During the summer before starting at SPIA, she traveled across Europe, North America, and South Korea, reconnecting with loved ones and enjoying a well-earned break before grad school. Born in Indiana and raised in Seoul, Wonkyung brings a cross-cultural perspective to her work. After graduation, she hopes to join an international organization such as the World Bank or United Nations to help countries design inclusive policies and improve equality data. In her free time, she enjoys birdwatching, spontaneous karaoke nights, and all things delightfully unconventional – if you spot her with a pair of binoculars, don’t hesitate to say hi!

Soon Young received her bachelor’s in public administration from Sung Kyun Kwan University in South Korea. Since 2020, she has worked as a deputy director at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, where she has been primarily responsible for public budgeting and performance-based budgeting. In this role, she focused on enhancing fiscal responsibility and aligning resource allocation with outcomes that matter. Her professional experience has given her deep insight into how budgeting decisions are made in practice and how institutional structures influence the effectiveness of public policies. Building on this foundation, her academic interests now center on how to increase efficiency in public budgeting systems while simultaneously ensuring democratic accountability. Through graduate study, she hopes to gain a more interdisciplinary and comparative perspective on public finance systems. Beyond her academic and professional pursuits, Soon Young is an avid photographer who enjoys capturing candid moments of everyday life. She also values personal wellness and maintains an active lifestyle through running and swimming. Most of all, she finds great meaning in connecting with people from diverse backgrounds and learning from their unique experiences and perspectives.

Beatrice was born and raised in Bergen County, New Jersey, and graduated from Middlebury College with a B.A. in Economics in February 2021. After graduation, Beatrice worked at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C. She first worked as a Research Assistant at AEI’s Survey Center on American Life, designing original survey questionnaires on topics including social networks, family structure, and the relationship between gender and politics. Later, she worked as a Research Associate of Economic Policy Studies, supporting research on applied economics, public economics, and monetary policy. At Princeton SPIA, Beatrice aims to better understand how changing demographic landscapes impact the federal government’s ability to collect data on its residents, and the implications such changes have on the policy landscape.