Public Policy and International Affairs Program
High-potential University of Rochester undergraduates are selected for graduate-level preparation offered by the Public Policy and International Affairs Program.
The nonprofit Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA) was created in 1980 to bring greater diversity to the public sector. PPIA’s core programming includes the Junior Summer Institute (JSI), a rigorous, seven-week, graduate-level preparation opportunity hosted by six American universities. JSI participants gain the skills needed to succeed in graduate school and, ultimately, in influential roles serving the public good.
The fellowship provides full tuition and housing, a stipend, preparation for graduate admissions tests, and funding toward graduate school tuition.
Learn more about the PPIA and other fellowship, scholarship, and award opportunities available to Rochester students.
Recent Public Policy and International Affairs Fellows
Congratulations to our most recent University of Rochester Public Policy and International Affairs fellow!
Jose Castillo ’23, ’24 (T5)
University: University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy and Governance
Area of study: Comparative literature (BA)
Minors: Statistics
Jose Castillo ’23, ’24 (T5) will take part in the PPIA Junior Summer Institute at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance in Seattle. Born in the Bronx and raised on Staten Island, Castillo interned in Berlin, Germany, through the not-for-profit IES Abroad working for a neighborhood community-based volunteer organization aiding refugees, many of them Syrian and Ukrainian. His University of Rochester activities include participation in the Medallion Program and leadership positions in the Spanish and Latino Students Association (SALSA) and Spanish and Latino Students in Training for Awareness (SALSITA). He has also been a mentor to Rising Leader Class first-year students since 2021. Castillo’s Take Five program will focus on Middle Eastern studies. He aspires to professional public service work that brings together different communities for positive change.
Past Public Policy and International Affairs Fellows
2022 Scholar
Wesley Mawn ’23
University: Carnegie Mellon University
Area of study: Environmental studies (BA)
2018 Scholar
Jin Kim ’19, ’20 (T5)
University: University of California
Area of study: Political science (BA), Berkeley
2016 Scholar
Christian Wooddell ’17
University: Carnegie Mellon University
Area of study: Anthropology (BA)
2013 Scholar
Jonathan Johnson ’14
University: Carnegie Mellon University
Area of study: Anthropology (BA)