Current MPA Students

Born and raised in San Francisco, Declan is a fluent Mandarin speaker with a B.A. in political science and Chinese studies from Villanova University. Prior to attending Princeton, he worked as a Research Associate at the Hoover Institution's Program on the U.S., China, and the World, researching the technology dimensions of U.S.-China strategic competition and contributing to a book project on China's internal fractures. Declan's past experience includes time at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the Bay Area Council. His work has been published in The Diplomat and the Hoover Press. In his free time, Declan enjoys a good book, New York Times Games and any sport with a ball.

Thomas is an active duty U.S. Army Special Forces officer holding previous assignments in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. His interests include irregular warfare, international diplomacy, organizational leadership and grand strategy. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2016 with a B.S. in Literature, where he also competed on the West Point triathlon team. While informally retired from competing, Thomas still loves a challenging workout, as well as cooking family dinners with the Princeton community. In summer 2026, Thomas interned with the U.S. Mission to the U.N.

Born and raised in Washington, Charlotte studied government, economics, and Mandarin at Colby College and spent her third year abroad at the London School of Economics. After graduating in 2024, she joined the Federal Reserve Board as a research assistant in the International Finance division. Working on the Global Financial Institutions team, she analyzed risks in financial institutions abroad to inform U.S. monetary policy decisions. At Princeton, Charlotte hopes to further explore the role of public and private institutions in shaping economic policy. After SPIA, she plans to return to public service with a focus on U.S.-China economic relations.

Adaeze is from Durham, North Carolina, and is a proud Tar Heel, having graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.S. in information science and a B.A. in political science. Before coming to Princeton SPIA, she worked as a research assistant at the RAND Corporation in Pittsburgh, where she contributed to social and economic policy research for three years. She also volunteered as an adult English language learning tutor in both Pittsburgh and Durham. After graduating from SPIA, she hopes to pursue a community-facing role focused on improving economic and health outcomes for residents of low-income neighborhoods. In her free time, she can be found exploring digital spaces, reading, and thinking a little too much about how the world works.

Jared’s dedication to public service began in his home state of Rhode Island. His leadership in his local Jewish community led to an interest in advocacy and public policy. He studied Economics at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where his honors thesis received publication for its novel findings of the Clean Air Act reducing race-based disparities in PM2.5 exposure. When the pandemic interrupted school, Jared dove full-time into community organizing in the Twin Cities; first, promoting Latino voter engagement and environmental justice at COPAL MN, then as a field organizer for the Biden Campaign and the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Jared began his professional career as an Assistant Analyst at the Congressional Budget Office in the Microeconomic Studies Division. His published work includes modeling effects of policies related to climate change, natural disasters, permitting reform, health care spending, and R&D and innovation. After his first year in the MPA program, Jared spent the summer as a Policy Fellow at the Honolulu City Council drafting legislation and communications on climate resilience and housing in Hawaiʻi. Following his studies at Princeton, he hopes to work on state and federal budgets to promote thriving communities, environments, and economies.