Student Profile: Andrew White, MPP Class of 2025

Andrew White, an incoming MPP Class of 2025 candidate at UChicago Harris, earned his double major in global studies and political science at University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign (UIUC) in 2022. “I’ve always found subjects about institutions and politics engaging, and that drew me towards political science. I double majored in global studies because it allowed me to study a breadth of institutions I was most interested in examining, including the USDA, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Labor."

White said he had a revelation about policy during his junior year. “I was working as a Student Worker for UIUC’s Engaging Youth for Positive Change (EYPC) program, which teaches high school students how to engage effectively with their local government. Over the course of eight months, I researched topics related to food insecurity and compiled information into policy docs that illuminated potential paths to making community-level policy change. I saw that society is built upon public institutions, and institutions are intertwined with policies—legislation that regulates everything from our largest industries to our most basic human rights.” 

After graduating from UIUC, White joined Alliance for Citizen Engagement, where one of his roles included being an Agricultural Policy Research Fellow. “I had the opportunity to work on a long-form policy brief about American agricultural policy, which involved a literature review focused on reports from public and thinktank sources and academic articles paired with some analysis of my own."

White said these experiences informed his decision to pursue his Master of Public Policy (MPP) at Harris. “I began curating my writing and data analysis skills while at UIUC and see the University of Chicago as the next step in my journey.” After graduation, White aims to pursue policy research in the public sector with the end goal of contributing to institutional reform as a policy analyst. “Harris’ quantitative focus and academic support, combined with an emphasis on hands-on experience, make it the perfect training ground for public policy analysis.”

White is particularly passionate about social policy and the idea of an inclusive economy. “There has never been such a transformation in how people are redefining the working world than right now,” he said. “I want to help make economic institutions work for everyone, not just those who already have resources. The policy work I have experienced thus far has shown me the power of institutions and the needs they fill.” The skills that the MPP curriculum offers, White said, seem best designed to allow him to succeed at developing policy that advocates for achieving a more inclusive economy. "I look forward to developing a quantitative skillset that will allow me to be a thorough policymaker.” White is especially excited to develop his toolkit through Policy Labs, an opportunity to collaborate with client organizations and gain real-world experience for class credit: “there seems to be a Policy Lab for every policy interest I can imagine.” 

Outside of academics, White said he is excited about potential opportunities to work with Harris and UChicago faculty. “I’m really interested in Professor Theaster Gates’ work at the Place Lab. As a self-described theater kid, I would love to work with artists to produce community-based art. I’m also very interested in Professor Damon Jones and his work on economics in Black American communities.” White also said he is looking forward to joining Harris’ Black Action in Public Policy Studies student organization.