The Ford School recognizes three outstanding master’s students—Paolo Mutia (MPP/MSI ‘24) and Anna D. Nguyen (MPP/MSI ‘24) as Weill Scholars and Sharon Ceron Espinosa (MPP ‘23) as the Weill Youth Policy Fellow. All three are recipients of the prestigious Ford School Rackham Master’s Award and will receive full graduate school tuition, a stipend, and health and dental insurance. They were selected for the Weill fellowships on the basis of their exemplary academic qualifications and their promise for future leadership in the field of public policy.
Paolo Mutia (MPP/MSI ‘24) has focused on an interdisciplinary approach to engage with communities and help them develop environmental policy. In the past, he helped pass the Virginia Clean Economy Act, the state’s first step towards climate action. Mutia is interested in what public policy looks like that centers justice and equity at the forefront in the age of information technology and the rapid development of new technology. He enjoys designing, building, and enhancing technology that are inclusive and equitable for everyone, especially for historically marginalized groups in environmental sustainability.
Anna D. Nguyen (MPP/MSI ‘24) is a 2018 Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute alum. Before coming to the Ford School, Nyugen worked for the city of Syracuse as a city planner, collaborating with residents in revitalization efforts and using data to assess housing stock in under-resourced communities. Nyugen’s passion lies in linking inclusive policy development and data science to increase accessibility of information, which grew from her policy interest in the causes and consequences of urban poverty.
Sharon Ceron Espinosa (MPP ‘23) was chosen as the Weill Youth Policy Fellow because of her outstanding qualifications and her interest in youth and education policy. Most recently, Espinosa served as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Atlacomulco, Mexico where she taught primary and secondary school students and led professional development workshops for local English teachers. During her time as the Youth Policy Fellow, Espinosa will work closely with Professor Brian Jacob and complete an internship with a Youth Policy Lab partner organization.
Read more about the Weill Fellows.
The Weill Scholars and Weill Youth Policy Fellowship are made possible through a generous gift from Joan and Sandy Weill. The students were chosen from an exceptional group of Rackham Master’s Award (RMA) recipients. The RMA is one of the Ford School and the University’s highest honors for incoming graduate students and is funded collaboratively by the University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School and the Ford School of Public Policy.