The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) believes that public policy in the 21st century demands a passion for service. To best prepare the School’s juniors and seniors for different career opportunities available after graduation, SPIA’s Undergraduate Program and the Princeton SPIA D.C. Center held the second annual “Undergraduate Policy Day in Washington” on September 27.

Forty undergraduate students made the trip to the nation’s capital to visit institutions and meet with policymakers across the District, including at the White House, where the students spoke with officials from the Domestic Policy Council and the National Economic Council; the U.S. Capitol, where they met with congressional staff from Senators Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) and John Fetterman’s (D-PA) teams; and the World Bank, where they joined a roundtable discussion with senior staff.

“We want to bring the students to Washington, D.C., to showcase the many different pathways into public service,” said Liz Choe, program director and director of undergraduate career services. “At each location throughout the day, we connected with SPIA alumni who shared their experiences and provided guidance to students on careers in the public sector.”

The day concluded with a co-facilitated discussion between SPIA in D.C. Director Zach Vertin and Simon Markinson of the Heritage Foundation about the upcoming presidential election.

“Our Princeton alumni are such a valuable resource who are always willing to help and meet with current students,” said Choe. “Many of the students have said that after meeting alumni in their working space, careers in public service felt more attainable and real.”

Though Hannah Gabelnick ’26 already completed a summer internship on the Hill working in the office of Congressman Andy Kim (D-NJ), Undergraduate Policy Day provided her with a new perspective.

“I am most interested in achieving societal change through researching, creating, and implementing policies that impact the communities I am working in,” said Gabelnick, who is planning a career in health care policy, human rights, or international affairs after graduation.

“I really appreciated the opportunity to meet with staff from the White House and World Bank to learn more about other public service career paths in D.C,” she said. “The trip exposed me to more public service career paths and gave me more confidence in my ability to find the right career path for me.”