The Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute (JSI) welcomes 24 undergraduate students from 15 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants, the students will spend seven weeks taking classes, honing communication and quantitative reasoning skills, and learning about public policy issues from researchers and practitioners.
“This is going to be an incredible summer for our incoming cohort of PPIA JSI students,” said Logan Corey, senior recruiting coordinator at the Ford School. “We'll be taking trips to Detroit and South Haven to connect with local leaders and to experience more of Michigan outside of Ann Arbor. Our students will also have the opportunity to connect with Ford School alumni and participate in an annual tradition - Ford School Spirit Day!”
With more than 5,000 alumni nationally, the JSI has a long-standing legacy of preparing leaders who shape policy and governance in the United States and abroad. This year’s Ford School cohort represents a wide range of intended majors, from political science, economics, and public policy to communications, law, international relations, and women’s studies. The disciplinary diversity reflects PPIA’s vision of building a more equitable world uplifted by inclusive, visionary, and compassionate leadership. For over four decades, the Ford School has proudly served as a host site for PPIA JSI.
“Every summer the PPIA JSI students bring unique insights and a strong sense of purpose,” said Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes. “Our hope is that their time at the Ford School not only expands their skill-sets, but their sense of what’s possible as future public policy leaders.”
2025 Ford School PPIA fellows:
- Alejandro Bracero, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus
- Jared Castaneda, University of California, Irvine
- Joanne Chung, Carleton College
- Aries Cole, University of California, San Diego
- Rafael Escalante Vasquez, Rutgers University - New Brunswick
- AJ Galluzzi, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
- Nivea George, Mercer University
- Ahreum Ham, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
- Warisha Khan, Carnegie Mellon University
- David Leal, University of Hartford
- Johnathan Martir, Williams College
- Spencer Metz, University of Arizona
- Noah Mojda, College of William and Mary
- Nicole Pantoja, University of Florida
- Michael Pozos, University of Texas at San Antonio
- Geralynn Razo, Temple University
- Mehr Sohal, Middlebury College
- Samaria Taylor, The University of Texas at Austin
- Brianna Washington, The University of Wisconsin - Madison
- Jo Wise, Seton Hall University
- Ian Wright, Rice University
- Georgia Youngblood, The University of Wisconsin - Superior
- Ainsley Zapata, Santa Clara University
- Jorge Zarco Jr., Dominican University
