McCourt School of Public Policy Impact Report Fall 2020

Originally from Michigan, Valarie studied public policy and African studies at Princeton University. As an undergraduate, she discovered her passion for applying quantitative methods to analyze ongoing conflicts and political change. She has worked on human rights, ballot initiatives, and foreign affairs.

Kristina has written speeches for Hillary Clinton, worked in the Obama White House, and helped defend environmental protections under Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY). Currently a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress where she focuses on energy and climate change, Kristina says she is especially proud of helping Sen. Schumer block an effort to repeal limits on methane emissions from oil and gas operations on public lands.

A passion for poverty alleviation and immigrant rights led Michelle to join the International Rescue Committee after graduating from UCLA, where she oversaw economic empowerment programming for recently arrived refugees. She later joined the City of San Diego’s Economic Development Department where she helped fund nonprofits providing direct services and community development.

When Fadhal got to Harvard, he faced a realization: being at the top of his class in his Georgia high school did not prepare him for the rigors of Ivy League scholarship. “There’s a chasm” in experience and education for many African-Americans, he says. Without a foundation in education, underprivileged young people cannot succeed. Now wrapping up four years teaching E.L. Haynes Public Charter School in D.C., he will focus on education policy.

As an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, Matt was drawn to public service. He has served as an AmeriCorps volunteer, White House intern, and Philadelphia City Council legislative aide, where he helped a Republican councilman pass legislation in an overwhelmingly Democratic city. A moderate adept at reaching across the aisle, he has worked on a variety of issues, from substance abuse to electric vehicle policy.

“Thanks to scholarship support, I traveled to the Philippines for a sustainability fellowship with the Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation. I worked with the El Nido Resort sustainability team and the Ayala Corporation to develop supply chain plans and inventory optimizations and decrease environmental impact. I applied data analysis and management techniques learned at McCourt while gaining valuable skills in corporate social responsibility.”

“My internship with the Committee on Education at the Council of the District of Columbia was and continues to be the highlight of my McCourt experience. I apply relationship-building skills in engaging with D.C. agencies, communication skills in writing time-sensitive memos, and policy and legislative analysis skills in drafting bills. My internship has directed my post-McCourt career aspirations to local government, and I look forward to deeply engaging with my new Philadelphia community.”

“At the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, I assisted in analyzing the targets of terrorist attacks for inclusion in the Global Terrorism Database, and I researched the relationship between terrorist organization lethality and ideology. The research and presentation skills I picked up supported my pursuit of research positions after graduation.”