Rafael graduated from Lewis & Clark College with a degree in political science after writing an honors thesis on how representatives can partner with constituents to combat misinformation. While at Lewis & Clark, Rafael interned for the U.S. Senate and Mercy Corps. After graduation, he joined the Peace Corps and served in Cambodia as an English teacher. The onset of the COVID pandemic brought his service to an abrupt end and he returned to the Senate to support Senator Merkley’s office in providing constituent services to Oregonians suffering from the economic instability. Prior to graduate studies, Rafael spent three years with Mercy Corps where he managed leadership and team development programs. He took advantage of his cross-country move to Princeton to camp at and hike through national parks. Rafael completed his MPA internship working as a Planetary Politics-Future Frontlines Intern at New America in Washington, D.C. Rafael calls Portland, Oregon, home. He is an avid climber, runner, and gamer. 

A proud St. Louisan, James began his public service career teaching Algebra in his home school district, St. Louis Public Schools, through Teach for America. Driven by a passion for educational equity, he became a John Lewis Fellow with Humanity in Action, joining a community of activists and organizers dedicated to championing social causes in the spirit of ‘Good Trouble.’ After teaching, James transitioned to systems change work as a policy advocacy fellow with Forward Through Ferguson, a racial justice organization founded in the aftermath of the Ferguson Uprisings. In this role, he advocated for a city-wide plan for education and supported the Racial Healing Justice Fund, a community-governed grant fund for regional BIPOC nonprofits and businesses. Before joining Princeton SPIA, James served as a Strategic Operations Manager at the St. Louis Treasurer’s Office for two years. During his time there, he oversaw financial empowerment efforts across the city, most notably leading the city's inaugural guaranteed basic income program, which distributed $6 million to support St. Louis families. Motivated by a commitment to social justice and community empowerment, he continues to seek impactful solutions to social issues. In his free time, James enjoys running, tackling overly ambitious DIY projects, and being mediocre at ping pong.

Aaheli was born in India, raised in Singapore, and moved to the U.K. to study at Imperial College London in 2015. After graduating with an MEng in Chemical Engineering, she worked as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group’s London office for five years, largely with public and third sector clients (a particular career highlight being supporting the U.K. government's COVID-19 response). She hopes to use her time at Princeton to explore the intersection of climate change and global health, with a focus on racial justice. Outside of academics, she loves acting, singing, dancing, and baking, and has developed a newfound interest in Muay Thai after a recent month-long bootcamp in Koh Samui.

Upon graduating from The Ohio State University in 2019 with a degree in security and intelligence and Middle East studies, Sydney joined Teach for America and taught high school English in Cleveland public schools. In Cleveland, Sydney had the opportunity to work as the Founding English Teacher at Garrett Morgan School of Leadership & Innovation, where she also coached volleyball, ran the school’s social media accounts, and served as the Social Emotional Learning Coordinator. Sydney earned her Master of Science in educational studies with a focus on educational policy from Johns Hopkins University in 2021. After three years in Cleveland, Sydney moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she worked as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at Prince Sultan University. Sydney spent the summer working as a Research Assistant at the Middle East Institute in Washington, and also conducted research for the Military DIME Research Project through the U.S. Army Foreign Military Studies Office. At SPIA, Sydney looks forward to deepening her knowledge of international relations, diplomacy, and national security.

Stefan was a career civil servant with the Government of India before coming to Princeton. He has extensive experience in building public service delivery infrastructure and management of citizen-centric digital transformation projects in India. Stefan's previous roles included the implementation of multiple financial inclusion projects of the Government of India in Erode, in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. At Princeton, he hopes to further deepen his interest in the development of capacity building mechanisms in public institutions through the design of evidence-based policies and the introduction of technology. Stefan graduated with a degree in economics from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. In his free time, you can see him dissecting Manchester United’s latest performance over the weekend, sipping his favorite coffee brews, or reading.