Current MPA Students

Ryan studied at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), concentrating on U.S.–China relations, China’s diplomatic engagements in the Caribbean, and Cross-Strait dynamics. After graduating in 2022, he began his SINSI fellowship, serving in a range of policy roles: first as a researcher at the United States Institute of Peace, then as an Advisor to the U.S. Executive Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and later with the State Department in Washington, D.C. and at the U.S. Embassy Lima, where he coordinated policy on external actors in the Western Hemisphere. A proud native of El Paso, Texas, Ryan draws on his Taiwanese-Mexican heritage and is fluent in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling the world, photographing landscapes and portraits, and dancing salsa, bachata, and merengue with Princeton’s Latin dance group, Más Flow.

Born and raised in Japan, Shuri is a Japanese career diplomat. She studied law and politics at the University of Tokyo, and after graduating in 2023, she joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. There, she was involved in economic diplomacy, with a focus on trade. Her portfolio covered promoting supply chain resilience within the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and participating in trade agreement negotiations with Bangladesh and the UAE. This experience not only deepened her interest in international trade diplomacy but also strengthened her motivation to help reinforce a free, open, and rules-based economic order – a principle that is increasingly vital today. At SPIA, she hopes to better understand evolving dynamics of the international political economy, especially at the intersection of economic and security policy. In her free time, she enjoys running, watching movies, and attending all kinds of live performances from musicals and orchestral concerts to ballet performances.

Erin is returning to her home state to join the Princeton community after a decade working and living in Boston, Massachusetts, and Brooklyn, New York. Prior to starting the MPA program, Erin was an Associate Director of Impact Investments at Social Finance, a national nonprofit where she partnered with state and local governments to design impact-first, non-extractive investment programs in education and workforce development. Erin is also an organizer in the solidarity economy and cooperative economics space. Previously, Erin was a Senior Research Associate on the Emerging Markets team at Eaton Vance Management/Morgan Stanley Investment Management. In that role, she conducted macroeconomic analysis and public policy research on countries in Central and Eastern Europe and North Africa in support of investment decisions. She has interned in the office of New Jersey Assemblyman John F. McKeon, in the office of former Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, at Liberty Square Group, and at Eaton Vance Management. In 2018, Erin graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science/International Affairs with Honors and a Minor in Economics from Northeastern University.

Jack is an MPA candidate focusing on international relations. His interests include arms control, international trade, and great power competition. Prior to SPIA, Jack worked in government, the private sector, and think tank community. Jack did his undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago, where he studied geophysical sciences and political science, and he holds a master's degree in strategy from the Naval War College. After graduation, he plans to return to public service and work on international policy issues. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, photography, and fossil hunting.

Fabian Valentin is a 2025 Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellow and will join the U.S. Foreign Service upon graduation. Prior to attending Princeton, he served as a legislative staffer for the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, addressing international security and illicit trade issues. He also served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the City of Orlando. Outside of work, he volunteered for multiple nomination cycles on the Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Task Group of the American Friends Service Committee. Fabian holds a bachelor’s degree in international affairs with a minor in economics from Florida State University.