“I grew up in a household that was engaged in public events; the news was always on. I think that translated into an interest in things like economics and public policy. After university, I applied to the state and federal government and started working at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in Canberra, Australia’s capital. I worked in Australia’s Office of Women, a dedicated section within the Prime Minister’s Department focused on achieving gender and economic equality, such as reducing the gender pay gap and increasing female labor force participation. After that, I spent close to 18 months at the Treasury. One thing I learned in government was that effective policymaking requires understanding the world beyond your country’s borders, particularly in a small-open economy like Australia. You have to understand people, how they think, how they decide to operate, and always be willing to learn. I’m interested in economic growth, development, optimal tax policy, macroeconomics, macrofinance, and climate policy. What I’m focused on at Princeton SPIA is understanding these topics at a very deep level and then figuring out how I can make an impact. To be an effective policymaker, you need to learn and know a lot, and obviously there’s no better place to do that than at Princeton. My cohort is a bunch of truly really brilliant people, but they’re also very humble, very normal, and very down to Earth. And that’s not only made the program really enjoyable but also brings you a bit of faith when you think about who might be running the world in a few years.”
Top photo: Courtesy of Jack Cumberlidge MPA ’27