Current Students

Ben joins Princeton after serving as a Constituent Services and Outreach Representative for Congressman Andy Kim where he organized outreach events to connect communities in New Jersey to government resources and advocated on behalf of constituents to federal agencies on matters pertaining to immigration, housing, and education. Ben grew up in Marlboro, New Jersey, then attended the University of Delaware where he studied international relations concentrating on the Middle East. After interning for U.S. Senator Chris Coons in Delaware, Ben served as Deputy Director for the Ocean County Democrats where he organized campaigns for local office. Ben has volunteered on several political campaigns and for the Monmouth County Community Emergency Response Team to help his community in the event of a natural disaster. This summer, Ben was a Housing Fellow for the Center for Public Enterprise, a nonprofit think tank that offers research and strategy for public officials to expand the capacity of government in the housing and energy finance sectors. He researched the impacts of budget cuts on federally subsidized multifamily housing, cost factors influencing affordable development, and state regulation of public housing authorities. Ben collaborated with municipal housing finance agencies to increase their mixed-income housing supply by modeling how innovative public finance products could facilitate affordable housing in challenging areas.

Hailing from the Lone Star State, Martín was raised in Dallas and would frequently visit family in Mexico throughout his upbringing. He moved to Pennsylvania in 2015 to attend Swarthmore College. Since earning his B.A. in History and Peace and Conflict Studies in 2019, Martín has dedicated his career to uplifting marginalized communities in Philadelphia through trauma-informed legal advocacy. He has advocated on behalf of victims of police brutality and has provided litigative support on wrongful conviction cases plagued by prosecutorial misconduct and racial bias. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he transitioned his work to providing legal services for low-income Spanish-speaking Philadelphians with disabilities. Blending grassroots organizing with policy advocacy, Martín continued championing for Disability Justice before transitioning to Sex Abuse litigation. As a Sex Abuse paralegal, he has worked with survivors of sexual abuse, human trafficking, and child exploitation in their pursuit of accountability and justice. Aiming to further develop his leadership skills and economic literacy at Princeton, Martín remains committed to using his expertise to profoundly address sexual and gender-based violence. Outside of his work, he can be found bothering his cats, exploring new restaurants, or enjoying a coffee after midnight with his partner.

Ana was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. Before Princeton, she worked at Instiglio, an international advisory firm, where she supported governments, multilateral agencies, and philanthropies in designing and implementing results-based financing programs in low- and middle-income countries. Through these experiences, she became deeply interested in migration policy and in making public spending and development aid more effective, sustainable, and impactful to improve the lives of vulnerable populations. This past summer, she interned at the World Bank’s Development Research Group, contributing to policy research on refugee labor market integration in Ethiopia. Ana holds a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Political Science from Universidad de los Andes. At Princeton, she hopes to deepen her expertise in evidence-based policymaking and design solutions that strengthen development outcomes. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, traveling, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

José Tomás is from Santiago, Chile. Before joining Princeton, he was an economist at Chile’s National Committee for Evaluation and Productivity (CNEP), where he tackled projects aimed at improving efficiency in public healthcare spending, evaluation policy and water management at a national level. Previously, he served under two presidential administrations at Chile’s Ministry of Economy, analyzing the economic impacts of COVID-19 and helping design a crucial support package benefiting nearly a million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). José Tomás holds a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in the same field, both from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, thinking daily about the Roman Empire and traveling.

Mahmud is a career civil servant from Bangladesh with a multidisciplinary background spanning electrical engineering, public administration and social protection. He has served in diverse regional contexts – from coordinating humanitarian and environmental interventions in Cox’s Bazar during the Rohingya crisis, to resolving land disputes and ensuring access to services for marginalized communities in the flood-prone district of Kurigram. Most recently, he worked as the Private Secretary to the Executive Chairman of the National Pension Authority under the Ministry of Finance, where he contributed to pension scheme redesign and international coordination efforts, particularly with the International Social Security Association (ISSA). Mahmud completed his undergraduate studies in electrical and electronic engineering at BUET. After starting his career in civil service, he has helped mentor and motivate countless young engineering graduates from his alma mater to pursue similar paths. Once admitted, he offered them vital guidance to navigate the early years thoughtfully. He is now also inspiring his juniors in civil service to pursue graduate studies in public policy, public affairs, international development, and other relevant fields at prestigious U.S. institutions. This past summer, Mahmud interned with organizations involved in FIFA World Cup 2026 preparations, gaining firsthand insight into the inner workings of a global sporting event. He had the opportunity to visit several host cities and watch a few matches from an organizer’s perspective. After graduating from SPIA, Mahmud plans to serve his country in a policy role and later contribute to global international development efforts through institutions such as UNDP or the World Bank.