PPIA Junior Summer Institute
Alumni Profiles
Laura Taylor-Kale
M.P.A. '03
Foreign Service Officer,
U.S. Department of State,
U.S. Embassy, Abidjian, Cote D'Ivoire
"I chose to go to the summer institute at Princeton because it had a reputation for preparing students for the rigors of graduate school and because some of the best students from around the country attend this program. There is something exhilarating about spending the summer with 35 motivated, ambitious young people with similar goals and interests. We learned a lot from each other and from our instructors. Because of the constant contact we had with our instructors and with the Woodrow Wilson School senior administrators, I felt I had a good sense of what I needed to do to prepare myself for grad school in my senior year of college and thereafter. I entered my senior year with a clearer idea of the courses I needed to take to round out my weaker areas from conversations that I had with my course instructors. I also benefited from the close interaction we had with the WWS Career Development Office. They virtually opened their doors to us as if we were WWS graduate students and guided us on how to do a job search in public policy fields. "
"I pursued an M.P.A. degree at the Woodrow Wilson School because I wanted to learn how to develop analytical skills to understand and promote viable economic policies that incorporate social welfare concerns with reality. Living in sub-Saharan Africa before attending graduate school made me want to understand how population dynamics like fertility and mortality trends, health and disease, migration and immigration affect economic growth, political stability, and social welfare in the most underdeveloped countries. The Demography Certificate program was part of what drew me to the Woodrow Wilson School; it is one of the oldest and most highly regarded centers of population research in the nation. "
"As a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, I find that diplomacy is changing. Diplomats face new challenges to international economic and political security from poverty, poor health care and education, urbanization, aging populations among our closest allies in the West, and rapid population growth among developing countries. Today, we have to understand the political and economic implications of unstable governments offering little opportunity to their young and rapidly growing populations. We have to understand the effect of regional economic migration trends on nations' political and economic stability and the economic and security problems created by poor health care infrastructures and infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS. "
"Completing the Demography Certificate has given me the tools to analyze these issues in my professional life and has ultimately made me more passionate about improving health care and education in order to promote political stability and economic growth in the poorest nations. My professors were outstanding--they were as engaged in teaching the theory and methods as they were in facilitating discussion about policy and helping us carry out original research."
José Huizar
M.P.A./U.R.P. '94
Councilmember, 14th District,
City of Los Angeles,
Trustee, Princeton University
José Huizar was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in November 2005 following his service as both President and Member of the Board of Education of the Los Angeles Unified School District (2001-2005). Huizar has received numerous distinctions, including profiles by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the 25 figures in the Los Angeles Area that "stand out for their potential to shape lives" and by Hispanic Business magazine as one of the "100 most influential Hispanics" in the United States.
As the Los Angeles School Board President, Huizar earned a reputation as a champion for educational justice and as an aggressive policymaker who tackled difficult issues to get results for students and families. During his tenure, he oversaw plans to build over 160 schools within eight years, constituting the largest school construction program in the nation's history. Huizar also successfully led the curriculum change to ensure that all school district students have access to college preparatory courses.
Huizar's priorities as Councilmember include strengthening public education and youth programs, enhancing quality of life through improved public safety and building more affordable housing and public transportation. "The WWS opened up even greater possibilities of public service than I had ever imagined," he says. "I gained a world-class education that equipped me with the requisite tools and skills to enable me to make a greater, positive impact on my community in East Los Angeles. I entered public life to make a difference in my neighborhood, and to give back to the community that has given me so much."
"Overall, my academic training prepared me well for my current role as a City Councilmember as well as my previous position as School Board President. Whether helping to craft one of the most ambitious public works projects in the nation's history or making policy decisions as a Councilmember, the WWS provided me with the tools to accomplish my goals, broaden my horizons and realize me dreams."
Alejandra Z. Herrera Chavez
M.P.A./U.R.P '03
Policy Development
Specialist,
San José Housing Department,
San José, California
"The decision to participate in the Junior Summer Institute is one of the best decisions I have ever made."
"As the first person in my extended family to graduate from college, it was important to participate in the JSI, as it opened up my eyes to the world of public policy and a graduate education. The program enabled me to develop the quantitative and analytical skills I would use in policy school, and gave me a better sense of the type of work that I would like to do upon graduation. I also had the opportunity to meet other students like myself who were passionate about making a difference in their communities."
Rodney Harrell
M.P.A./U.R.P. '02
Doctoral Candidate,
School of Architecture,
Planning and Preservation,
"For me, attending a summer program was a great experience for clarifying an interest in policy school. Being given a chance to confirm my ability and desire to do well was of great importance to my academic career. It gave me advance knowledge of the skills I needed. The most important part of attending a summer program was the exposure to policy schools--including WWS--and the help I received in constructing the strongest application that I possibly could.
"I was also fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the JSI program after completing my M.P.A. degree at WWS. I was given the chance to witness how useful it is for potential applicants to get a taste of life at Princeton."