4 Selected to Attend Prestigious Public Policy and International Affairs Institutes

Four Syracuse University students have been selected to participate in the highly competitive Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) junior summer institutes.

PPIA fellows are rising seniors who are committed to pursuing a master’s degree in public policy or international affairs and a professional career in public service. The program supports students who demonstrate involvement in working to improve historically underserved or underrepresented communities. The program provides full tuition at a Junior Summer Institute (JSI), GRE preparation, a $5,000 scholarship at a PPIA graduate school (PPIA fellows often receive scholarships beyond this amount) and application fee waivers to graduate programs in the PPIA consortium.

PPIA is a summer program hosted by five institutions across the country with strong public policy programs. It promotes the inclusion of underrepresented groups in public service and advances their leadership roles throughout civic institutions. The program is designed to encourage participants to apply to graduate school in public policy, public administration, international affairs or a related field.

The four, all current juniors, are:

• Maya Benjamin, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Andrea Sanchez, a political science and policy studies major in the Maxwell School and the College of Arts and Sciences;
• Aidaruus Shirwa, a policy studies and economics major in the Maxwell School and the College of Arts and Sciences; and
• Hailey Williams, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School and College of Arts and Sciences, a political philosophy major in the College of Arts and Sciences, a Coronat Scholar and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.

Benjamin will attend the institute at the University of California, Berkeley; Sanchez at Carnegie Mellon University; and Shirwa and Williams at the University of Washington.

You can read more about the candidates here. Congratulations to this year's recipients!