Two second year master’s students, Hope Wang (MPP ‘25) and Julia Johnson (MPP ‘25), have been selected from a competitive pool of applicants for the Ford School’s prestigious 2025 Riecker Fellowship. They are spending the winter semester in Washington, DC, on assignment with a member of the Michigan delegation.
The fellows’ specific assignments are based on the current priorities of members’ offices. Past assignments have included working on investigations and oversight of FEMA grant programs, the National Flood Insurance Program, the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, government shutdown, and the CARES Act.
Wang is working with U.S. Senator Gary Peters’ (D-MI) Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
“It's a momentous time in U.S. politics, and a tremendously important time to be a part of the foremost Congressional oversight committee. With every Presidential transition comes fluctuations in the regulatory and policy regimes, and Congress plays an important role in ensuring these fluctuations are lawful and beneficial to the American people. I get to work directly on the most pressing issues we read in the headlines everyday, affecting transparency, oversight, and accountability. I sought the opportunity to directly draft legislation in a substantive policy making role, and this fellowship has provided me with just that.”
Johnson is supporting Representative Haley Stevens (MI-11)
"I wanted to be a Riecker Fellow because it’s a unique chance to apply the policy skills I’ve built in both state and federal settings in a hands-on legislative environment. I was especially interested in working in a House office to better understand how members and staff respond to district needs while advancing broader policy goals. It felt like a natural next step in my commitment to public service and practical policymaking."
About the Riecker Michigan Delegation Fellowship
Named for Margaret (Ranny) Riecker (HLLD '05), a longtime friend and generous benefactor of the Ford School, the Riecker Michigan Delegation Fellowship sends competitively selected continuing graduate students to Washington, DC to complete a six-month assignment with a senator or representative from the state of Michigan. Fellows also receive a monthly stipend to cover expenses during their time on the Hill; leadership coaching; a travel grant to cover relocation expenses to DC; in-state tuition support for the semester immediately following the DC assignment; and a year of health care insurance.