Current MPA Students

Honoring her experiences as a policy advocate and grassroots organizer, Abigail (she/her) is pursuing an MPA at Princeton SPIA. Originally from Oregon, Abigail spent the last four years working to advance progressive legislation in California’s state capitol. As a Senior Policy Advocate and social-impact Lobbyist, she passed legislation to strengthen California’s Medicaid behavioral health workforce, expand immigrant rights, and uplift BIPOC and LGBTQ+ survivors of domestic violence. Most recently, she passed a bill to protect farmworker children from the harmful impacts of pesticide exposure at school and secured almost $42 million in state funding across four social-impact clients. Abigail roots her work in almost a decade of activist experience – from youth education activism as a teen to organizing custodial and cafeteria workers at her undergraduate campus – as well as her own experiences as a proud queer half-Mexican woman. Abby graduated summa cum laude from Santa Clara University (SCU) with degrees in political science and Spanish and a minor in gender and sexuality. At SCU, she served as Student Body President and became the University’s first Harry S. Truman Scholarship recipient in 36 years. She wrote her honors thesis on the Mexican indigenous Zapatista rebels of 1994. She was a fellow at the U.S. Department of Education before beginning her career in California. Whether advising policy makers or mobilizing coalitions, Abigail’s life’s work is to create transformative and lasting change for those at the margins of political power.

Originally from Springdale, Arkansas, Aaron is focused on challenges surrounding institutional effectiveness and resource allocation. Following his undergraduate studies, Aaron served with the final Peace Corps cohort in China, teaching English at the Guizhou University of Engineering Science. After the program’s closure in 2020, Aaron worked with First Things Foundation in Appalachia, providing capacity-building services to social-impact nonprofits at the height of the pandemic. Most recently, Aaron worked in grants management and data analytics roles for nonprofits in Little Rock, Arkansas, including the Arkansas Foodbank, the state’s largest food bank. He holds undergraduate degrees in computer science and international relations from the University of Arkansas. After his graduate studies, Aaron hopes to work with mission-driven organizations focused on strengthening public systems and pathways to social mobility. In his spare time, he drinks tea, meditates, and takes long walks, generally in that order.

Dayton is originally from Flowood, Mississippi. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Mississippi. His work concentrates on domestic anti-poverty policy at the intersection of housing, healthcare, education, and social safety nets. In the summer of 2026, Dayton served as a Legislative Fellow for U.S. Senator Chris Coons on the Health and Education team, contributing to ALS research reauthorization, drafting legislation for a place-based maternal and infant health pilot, and collaborating with agency and civil society partners on the future of national service. Previously, he served as an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader in Mississippi, mentoring members and building institutional capacity across local nonprofits and Title I schools to fight poverty.

Cassandra was born in Accra, Ghana, and raised in both Ghana and Nigeria. After graduating, she moved to Dakar, Senegal, to join IDinsight as an Associate, where she provided Monitoring and Evaluation advisory services to NGOs and governments across West Africa. After IDinsight, she worked with IPA Ghana, supporting the Ghanaian Ministry of Education in developing and scaling a nationwide early childhood education program. Prior to attending Princeton, Cassandra spent three months in Freetown, Sierra Leone, as a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, supporting the Ministry of Agriculture in implementing the government’s flagship program, Feed Salone. During the summer of 2026, Cassandra returned to Ghana for her MPA internship with the World Bank Group. Following graduation, Cassandra intends to pursue work that addresses inequality and supports the strengthening of governance institutions across Africa. In her free time, she enjoys baking and hiking.

Before joining Princeton SPIA, Bilegt spent five years in the Government of Mongolia, first at the Ministry of Economy and Development, then at the Ministry of Finance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he contributed to Mongolia's first national development plan following the passage of a landmark development law. He also worked on Mongolia's Medium-Term Debt Strategy, a debt swap agreement with the German government, and the establishment of Mongolia's first sovereign wealth fund. Driven by curiosity, he enjoys challenging himself by continually exploring new fields and deepening his understanding of how some policies work and some don't. He holds a master's degree in policy economics from the Center for Development Economics at Williams College. Bilegt is passionate about data driven policymaking grounded in rigorous research. Outside of work, he enjoys running, swimming, cycling, and hiking. At Princeton SPIA, he looks forward to learning from his multidisciplinary peers and deepening his understanding of public policy.