Harris Ambassadors and Graduate Assistants are a group of students who are available to share their perspective and experiences at Harris Public Policy. They are representative of the Harris student body and passionate about their areas of study as well as their experience at Harris. Whether you have questions about the classroom experience, moving to Chicago, or their policy interests, our students are here to help! Connect with a current student on the phone or online.

Please note, certain students will be unavailable over the summer, so we will aim to get you your first choice in the request form, and if they are unavailable, we will connect you with another student who shares some of your interests and background. You may also experience slightly longer wait times over the summer based on availability. We appreciate your patience. 

Meet the Harris Ambassadors

Terence Chau, PhD Student

Hometown: San José, Costa Rica

Interests include: Economic History, Modernization, Labor and Migration

I'm an economist and Harris PhD student interested in topics in economic history, modernization, and migration. I'm also interested in statistical issues arising from the use of machine learning tools on historical data. I did my undergraduate studies in economics at the Universidad de Costa Rica. Before joining the Ph.D., I interned at the United Nations Development Programme and United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and was an MACRM student at Harris.

Connor Christensen, MPP/Middle Eastern Studies Class of 2024

Hometown: Foreston, MN

Interests include: Global Conflict Resolution, International Development

I was raised in a small town in central Minnesota. After high school I served in the Navy for five years, working primarily in Spain. After falling in love with that amazing country, I got my undergraduate degree at Saint Louis University's Madrid campus. Through those years I solidified my love for international relations while gaining a new understanding of history, languages, and how connected our world truly is. I went on to study Turkish through a summer scholarship program and worked in Turkey for six months as an English instructor. I look forward to my time at the University of Chicago, both at Harris and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, as I pursue the next phase of my career and find my place in a complex, globalized world.

Carrie Collins, MPP Class of 2024

Hometown: Princeton, NJ

Interests include: Technology Policy, Racial and Gender Equity, Data Analytics, Policy Analysis

I graduated with a BA in English and Psychology from Providence College. Following my undergraduate career, I took a position at Princeton University. My role there encompassed user experience (UX), racial equity, customer relationship management, and digital accessibility. My work in these areas sparked my interest in technology policy and its intersection with equity. Prior to my admission to Harris, I completed a certificate in Public Policy at Rutgers University. At Harris, I look forward to further expanding my analytical and quantitative skillsets in the pursuit of comprehensive and equitable technology policy.

Mateo Cruz, MPP Class of 2024

Hometown: Bogotá, Colombia

Interests include: Consulting, Fiscal Policy, Macroeconomics, and Entrepreneurship

I was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, where I earned my BA in Business Administration from Universidad de Los Andes. During the last 6 years, I have been working in the banking and business consulting industry. I also founded an NPO consulting firm (Impact Consultoria Social). I chose Harris because I want to focus on financial politics and macroeconomics, so in the future, I can help to ease access to financial services in developing countries.

Jonathan DaCosta, MPP Class of 2024

Hometown: Los Angeles, California

Interests include: Urban Development and Education Policy

After finishing my Bachelors degree in International Relations from Boston University, I chose to come to Harris in order to ground my policy interests in quantitative research. I wanted to uncover the root cause of major policy issues affecting local and at-large communities and equip myself with the tools necessary to tackle those issues head on. Having the ability to combine my real world experience in municipal, state, and federal government entities with the quantitative foundation that Harris provides, will allow me to make the jump into any career field and make a positive impact

Jade Jiang, MPP Class of 2024

Hometown: Changsha, Hunan, China

Interests include: Health & Education policy, International Development, and Labor Markets

I come from an economics background with an emphasis on community and global health, and have researched lending justice and equity. After I completed my BA, I worked in financial services and talent acquisition. The opportunity to learn and collaborate with our diverse and outstanding cohort, professors, and community at Harris is invaluable to me. I'm looking forward to developing an analytical toolkit to facilitate well-founded policy analysis and decisions towards positive social impact.

Navya Koppusetty, MPP Class of 2024, Persuasive Writing Credential 2022

Hometown: Mason, Ohio

Interests include: Environmental and Tech Policy

I graduated from University of Cincinnati with my BA in International Affairs and Political Science and minored in Asian Studies with certificates in Middle Eastern and Legal Studies. After graduation, I participated in Americorps VISTA for the state of Colorado and Ohio. I am interested in both environmental policy and tech policy as it relates to the safety of children using the internet. I am currently applying for the JD program at University of Chicago. I can't wait to see what the future holds for me here at Harris.

Levi Latoz, MPP Class of 2024

Hometown: Georgetown, IL

Interests include: International Development, Global Conflict, Education Policy

Though I am originally from a small town in Central Illinois, Taiwan has been my home for most of the past two years. During that time, I served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at two middle schools in Yunlin County.

Prior to my Fulbright Grant, I earned my bachelor’s degree in International Political Economy and Asian Studies from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. At Harris, I hope to strengthen my quantitative background and grasp new ways to support positive change in communities.

Grace Kathryn Snider, EMP Class of 2023

Hometown: Originally Atlanta, Georgia; (Alaska prior to Chicago)

Interests include Social Justice Policy and Environmental Economics

I graduated from the University of Georgia with an Arts Baccalaureate degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, focused on Creative Writing. After graduation, I joined AmeriCorps VISTA for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska, growing a school-based mentoring program. Since then, I have worked in a variety of jobs and careers ranging from resource navigation for people experiencing brain injuries; care coordination for the Medicaid waiver program in the State of Alaska; construction, leading trail crews, and more. Currently, I work for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago as a business analyst in Strategy, Risk Management, and Business Continuity. Pursuing a degree in public policy for me is vital: helping Economists translate the science for the people to support policy changes that make our communities healthier and happier.

Sanya Srivastava, MPP Class of 2024

Hometown: New Delhi, India

Interests include: Health and International Development, Social Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation

I chose Harris to strengthen my quantitative toolkit and to learn how to bridge the gap in research, policy, and practice. Prior to this I was working in development consulting and impact evaluation in India for about 4 years and earned an undergraduate degree in Economics and Mathematics from Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi. I am passionate about strengthening social service delivery in developing countries through strategic decision-making tools like robust data structures and monitoring and evaluation systems. With the skills and global exposure I will get at Harris, I would like to grow into a leader who enables social change amongst disenfranchised communities.

Vignesh Venkatachalam, MSCAPP Class of 2024

Hometown: Mumbai, India

Interests include: Data Science, Civic Technology, Policy Analysis, AI in Public Policy

I hail from Mumbai—though over the years I’ve had the chance to live in multiple different cities throughout India. Prior to Harris, I spent 4 years in data science consulting before pivoting towards using my technical skills for social good. I’ve since been involved in state and national projects around innovation in governance, Smart Cities, and pro-bono data consulting for local NGOs. Since the start of my master's program at Harris, I’ve continued working with local social impact organizations—helping them build data and technical capacity and measure the impact of their community programs. My policy interest lies in public interest technology and capacity building for governments through responsible use of data.

Sol Yoo, MPP Class of 2024

Hometown: Yongin, Korea

Interests include: Data Analytics, Social Inequality, Economic Policy

I graduated from Kyung Hee University in Korea with a Bachelor's degree in International Studies.  I have four years of career experience (including US internships) in Human Resource Management. As a first-generation college graduate, I came to Harris to make social impacts with data-driven decisions. I am sure the academic support in the MPP program will strengthen my analytical and quantitative skills to be a policy analyst.