Policy Pitch Competition

Brooke Bacigal (BA '20) talks about her organization (Re)Vive that aims to improve the lives of refugee students by helping them with everyday tasks that can be barriers to these people such as emails, cover letters, and job applications.

Monika Anderson (MPP/MSW '20) tells us about their work for the National Alliance on Mental Illness in New York and how they are committed to speaking up about mental health issues. 

Aloka Narayanan (MPP '20) speaks about her work withBrilliant Detroit to tackle issues regarding early childhood education, food security, and homelessness.  

Gerson Ramirez (MPP '20) speaks about his experience working for Detroit Public Schools Community District and his passion for helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds succeed in their education.

Brandan Pierce (MPP '20) describes his work and research with Boston Public Schools in the Office of Human Capital and the goals they are working on such as diversifying faculty/staff for the benefit of the students.

Presenters deliver pitches highlighting their internship organization, policy interest areas, policy impact and engagement, skills gained and takeaways from their internship as they move forward with their careers.

Pranav Govindaraju (BA '20) talks about fear, excitement, and the ability to learn and grow while tackling large tasks during his internship at the Federal Reserve Board. 

Director of the Program of Practical Policy Engagement Elisabeth Gerber and assistant director at Graduate Career Services Peter Vasher introduce the 2019 Policy Pitch Competition.

Jonatan Martinez (MPP '20) describes his internship with the LEAN Team at the Mayor's Office in Detroit, and explains how his own background has sparked his devotion to breaking the cycle of poverty and serving his community.

Karl Hoesch (MPP '20) discusses his passion for access to affordable housing as well as climate change, which directly tied into his work with the Office of Climate and Energy at the State of Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Ene

Avril Prakash (MPP/MBA '21) discusses her experience working for General Motors in Detroit in their Energy and Environment Team under the Public Policy Center and how her experience has deepened her passion for ensuring equal opportunity in this d

Hira Mumtaz (MPP '19 Fulbright Scholar) talks about her use of economic analysis to help stakeholders at World Bank and how global policymakers can fight energy challenges.

Anna Zinkel (MPP '19 Bohnett Fellow) talks about creating sustainable career pathways for Detroiters in her internship with the Workforce Development Office.

Jonathan Poser (MPP/REES '18) talks about his internship in Bulgaria working with minority communities and how he works to fight systemic corruption and social inequity.

Associate Dean for Research and Policy Engagement Elisabeth Gerber announces our two first place winners: Megan Nestor (MPP '19 Ford Fellow) and Emily Fletcher (MPP/MBA '20).

Associate Dean for Research and Policy Engagement Elisabeth Gerber introduces the 2018 Policy Pitch Competition.

Emily Fletcher (MPP/MBA '20) talks about finding her niche in healthcare and how her internship at Civic Consulting Alliance gave her powerful local impact.

Master's students completing summer internship experiences deliver pitches highlighting their internship organization, policy interest areas, and policy impact.

Leah Squires (MPP/MENAS '20) talks about how her love for international authors and fiction books sparked her studies in international policy, culminating in an internship with Direct Relief.

Charmaine Chua (MPP/MSW '20) talks about how studying to become a lawyer taught her the importance of policymaking at a local level.

Chigozie Okwu presents at the Policy Pitch Competition.

Megan Nestor (MPP '19 Ford Fellow) talks about how her internship at the Detroit Mayor's Office gave her life–changing impact in expanding the city's Pre–K programs.

Anthony Fowlkes (MPP/MA '19) talks about his experience as a first–generation student of color and his internship at the Center for Minority Serving Institutions in Philadelphia.