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We have amazing students and alumni, and are proud to highlight some of their involvement and accomplishments.
For additional stories, visit our Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter!
We organize various events throughout the year that students may find useful in navigating the major, learning more about particular policy issues, socializing and networking. Note: this information is updated frequently, so don’t forget to check back from time to time. Here are some tentative events for the 25-26 academic year. We'll add dates and links as they become available.
The Public Policy Student Advisory Board (SAB) provides a platform to pursue leadership opportunities within the major and actively participate in the creation, planning and execution of student-centered programming and opportunities. The 25-26 board will continue to focus on advising the PBPL team on a variety of programs in areas of community building, academic support, and peer & professional mentorships. Continuing and new members will also help market our major and support events.
Class of 2026
He/Him
Hometown: Pickerington, OH
What you did this summer: I interned at the Ohio Statehouse, coached tennis, facilitated civil discourse for incoming first years, and went to some stand-up comedy shows in my spare time!
A fun fact about yourself / or your policy interests: I love any sport that you play with a racket or paddle!
She/Her
Hometown: Chandler, Arizona
What you did this summer: I spent the summer as an Advocacy & Communications Intern with the Chicago Abortion Fund!
A fun fact about yourself / or your policy interests: Fun Fact: I am also a theatrical lighting designer, and my work has been seen both in on-campus productions with University Theater as well as at local storefront theatres!
Hometown: San Diego, CA
What you did this summer: I interned in Philadelphia this summer, but thanks to the train, I got to travel all over the East Coast!
A fun fact about yourself / or your policy interests: I spent a week backpacking in Yosemite at the end of the summer.
Hometown: Brighton, CO
What you did this summer: This summer I worked in consulting, and I visited Machu Picchu in Peru with my roommate!
A fun fact about yourself / or your policy interests: I love food and have been to 50 restaurants in Chicago!
Class of 2027
Hometown: Cary, North Carolina
What you did this summer: I was a behavioral science intern at BVA Nudge!
A fun fact about yourself / or your policy interests: I'm interested in the intersection between behavioral science and policy, where the structures within our world result in irrationalities of human decision-making.
Hometown: Miami, Florida
What you did this summer: Interned at a polling and market research firm in the D.C. area and travelled to California to explore national parks!
A fun fact about yourself / or your policy interests: Economic Development and Redistributive Policy.
Hometown: Oakland, CA
What you did this summer: I spent the summer working with the World Bank on human rights economics research and with CareerVillage, where I used experimental design methods in data science to study how students engage with career guidance tools. Both roles helped me connect quantitative research to real-world policy questions.
A fun fact about yourself / or your policy interests: I’m interested in international relations and comparative politics, especially how the US - Mexico and Germany - Syria contexts reveal different approaches to immigration, the treatment of vulnerable communities and their data, as well as broader human rights policy.
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
What you did this summer: I was an Out of School Time Manager Intern for Hyde Park Neighborhood Club through the University Community Service Center Summer Links Program. I had the opportunity to learn and experience day to day operation for Youth programming and engagement. Staying in Chicago this past summer allowed me to explore the city but also learn so much more about what it means to be a neighbor and community member on the South Side of Chicago.
A fun fact about yourself / or your policy interests: I didn’t learn how to tie my shows until middle school! A reason why I am interested in policy, is that we often put so much emphasis on policy making and the top-down style of policy work. However, my passion lies within community level-based work. Communities know their needs and when we address those needs through ground level policy work the impact, we see is much more significant.
Hometown: Townsend, TN
What you did this summer: I was an IOP Hometown Intern and worked for Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont and Appalachian Bear Rescue, doing administrative and fundraising work. I spent a lot of time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park during the week, and explored Chattanooga, TN and Asheville, NC on some fun weekend trips!
A fun fact about yourself / or your policy interests: My hometown is on the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! My parents are fly fishing guides, so I've grown up surrounded by a love for nature and conservation, which has inspired me to pursue a career in conservation and public lands protection policy.
Hometown: Huntingdon, PA
What you did this summer: Worked at TurnUp Activism and then E3 Consulting as a Media Consulting Intern. Enjoyed the lake very close to my hometown
A fun fact about yourself / or your policy interests: I went to a private school founded by Milton Hershey (yes the chocolate guy) for High School.
Class of 2028
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
What you did this summer:
A fun fact about yourself / or your policy interests: My policy interests include criminal justice, urban, immigration, and economic policy. And I have a playlist of over 1000 songs dedicated just to Afrobeats!
Hometown: Frederick, South Dakota
What you did this summer: I interned for a rural economic development company via the IOP Hometown Internship Program, which allowed me to conduct a housing study for my hometown that will allow my community to receive funding for new low-income housing units! Outside of work, I attended several concerts, most notably WE Fest (a wonderful country music festival in Detroit Lakes, MN).
A fun fact about yourself / or your policy interests: Growing up on a cattle ranch and attending a small public K-12 school sparked my passion for environmental and education policy.
Class of 2029
Hometown: Waukegan, IL
What you did this summer: This summer I interned as an Ecological Ambassador at the conservation non-profit, Lake Forest Open Lands Association.
A fun fact about yourself / or your policy interests: I have a deep fascination for Educational Policy!
Visit the University of Chicago Open Access Repository for Documents, Data, and Media at knowledge.uchicago.edu to read BA Honors theses from past years. Search using the "public policy studies thesis" tagline.
Students can complete the BA Capstone Project by submitting an extensive writing assignment for the PBPL 29500 BA Project Seminar.
A selection of Projects can be found at knowledge.uchicago.edu, search using the "public policy projects" tagline, with their complementary small Projects found at The OEC: Op-Ed Chicago.
You can access additional information and finished projects here.
The Richard P. Taub Thesis Prize, created in 2018, is awarded annually to three undergraduate Public Policy Studies students who have done original and extensive research for the BA thesis project. In 2025, the Undergraduate Public Policy faculty selected Elisabeth Snyder, Nini Nguyen, Kriti Krishnan, Jack McDonald, and Nicholas Miller as the award recipients.
The James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center for Research on Wealth Inequality and Mobility Undergraduate Thesis Award, created in 2023, is annually awarded to two exceptional University of Chicago undergraduate students who have produced exemplary research on topics of inequality in the United States or cross-culturally comparative contexts. One is awarded to a student who conducts their research within the social sciences, and the other to a student who performs their research within public policy. The public policy award was conferred to Alexandria Porter.
Check out our award ceremony for them here!
Jessica Mora (AB'20) - "Spread Your Wings and FLI: How to Effectively Navigate College as a First-Generation, Low-Income Student" - Order your copy here!
Our major has an extensive alumni community. Join our UChicago PBPL LinkedIn group to connect! Here are some alumni updates:
Raj Nayak ('00), Yale Law, recently confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Policy, Labor Department
Aviva Rosman ('10), Harris, Co-Founder & COO at BallotReady, personalized ballots in 50 states
Ben Samuel-Kalow ('12), MEd, NYC DoE, Head of School, Founder, Creo College Prep, Bronx
Karlyn Gorski ('14), PhD, UChicago sociology ('22), Assistant Instructional Professor in PBPL!
Tobi Gbile ('18), product marketing manager adidas x Beyoncé, Ivy Park, athleisure
Sharan Subramanian ('18), MBA candidate, Yale School of Management, Founder and President of Invest in Chess
Josh Zakharov ('20), second year law student, NYU, International Law & Justice Scholar