Current Students

Alex grew up in Milan, Italy, with family in Italy and California. Prior to joining Princeton SPIA, he was a political appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration, serving in various roles in the Department of Defense, including under the Deputy Secretary of Defense, under the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies, and under the Chief Strategy Officer for Research of Engineering. He previously worked on the Biden for President campaign in 2020, for Governor Gavin Newsom during the 2021 recall campaign, and was one of the first team members of Europe Elects, creating their website and poll averages. Alex studied Engineering of Computing Systems at the Politecnico di Milano and at Princeton will continue to explore the role of investment in emerging technologies and industrial policy in the future of the United States.

Joe graduated from Princeton with an undergraduate degree in history and a certificate in Russian language and culture before receiving the SINSI Graduate Fellowship, a four-year program that includes a SPIA MPA and two years of work in the federal government. At SPIA, his graduate focus was in Field I (International Relations). He completed three SINSI rotations: at the Federal Transit Administration, at the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and at the United States Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania.

From Groton, Massachusetts, Stephen graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 2019 with undergraduate degrees in International Studies, Chinese, and French. Stephen studied abroad at Peking University and the University of Strasbourg, focusing on language acquisition and regional security perspectives. He also interned at the U.S. Mission to NATO, supporting the U.S. Department of State lead negotiator in preparing the 2018 Brussels Joint Summit Declaration. Stephen earned his commission as an Air Force Intelligence Officer in 2019 and later served at the Intelligence Directorate for U.S. European Command Headquarters as well as the 612 Air Operations Center. He is a four‐year active duty veteran and seeks to transition from Defense Intelligence to a career enabling diplomatic engagements and security cooperation. This past summer, Stephen interned with the German Marshall Fund of the United States Technology Program in Berlin, supporting targeted research and projects related to European AI competitiveness, defense technology, and AI and democracy. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, yoga, weightlifting, and board games.

Nikita was born in Jakarta but spent much of his upbringing moving between Indonesia, China, Brazil, and East Timor as the son of a career diplomat. Growing up across continents and seeing his father's dedication to public service set him on a path toward diplomacy. He studied political science at the University of Indonesia, focusing on comparative politics, and interned for a Member of Parliament working on trade and industrial policy. After graduating, he joined Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he worked on Indonesia's European Union (EU) portfolio, managing day-to-day relations including political and economic cooperation, trade disputes, and negotiations. Working on the Indonesia-EU trade agreement showed him that diplomats don't just shape international partnerships; they also steer critical conversations about domestic economic and development policy. At Princeton, Nikita hopes to deepen his expertise in international political economy and contribute to global development strategies that reflect the priorities of emerging economies. After SPIA, he plans to continue serving as a career diplomat for Indonesia, representing his country abroad and helping shape its global political and economic strategy. Outside of work, he plays soccer whenever he gets the chance and is an avid scuba diver.

Originally from Long Island, New York, Amelia studied International Studies, Economics, and Jewish Studies at CUNY The City College of New York (CCNY). Through the integration of her majors, Amelia gained a clearer understanding of the shocks and stresses communities face and the public levers available to equitably drive change. During her time at CCNY, Amelia was awarded the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship, a three year program that provides funded summer internships to promising undergraduate students, fueling her passion for urban resilience. After graduating, Amelia began working at Resilient Cities Catalyst, a NYC-based nonprofit organization working to catalyze change in cities and communities across the globe. Over the past 5 years, she has partnered with cities and communities to accelerate urban resilience projects in disinvested communities across the United States, working in cities like Tampa to redesign streetscapes for extreme heat, New York on street vendor policy, and San Diego on binational coastal resilience funding. Through her studies at Princeton, she plans to expand her analytical skills and understanding of public finance to develop innovative approaches to catalyze systems change in cities across the United States.