Student of the Month
Year 2012
January - Alexandra McKinney
Alexandra (Ali) McKinney is a senior majoring in Public Policy and planning to concentrate in Law and the Legal System. Public Policy courses like Public Policy 106: Economics of Legal Rules and Institutions and Public Policy 104: Economic Policy Analysis introduced Ali to the application of economic concepts to legal and policy issues, topics she hopes to incorporate into her future legal career. One of the highlights of Ali’s undergraduate experience was participating in the Stanford in Washington Program during her junior fall quarter. In Washington, she interned with the Federal Communication Commission’s Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis, where she worked mainly on the FCC’s Future of Media report and a merger analysis. Ali also attended the Stanford in Paris Program, and currently serves as a student advisor for the program. On campus, she has been active on the ASSU’s Public Service Team and the Stanford Pre-Law Society. During her summers, Ali worked as a Program and Tournament Coordinator for the United States Tennis Association’s New Hampshire youth program and has served as founder, president, and instructor for a high school guidance department program helping struggling high school students learn skills for academic success. Next year, Ali will be attending law school after having been accepted to her top choice law schools, Harvard, Yale, and Stanford. She hopes to pursue legal careers relating to business and economics.
February - Michael Kent
Michael is a senior simultaneously pursuing B.A. and M.P.P. degrees. His undergraduate concentration is in National Security and Counter Terrorism and his graduate studies focus on broader Science and Technology Policy. He has conducted research with a number of groups, including the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), where he analyzed the change in lethality rates in the US and USSR nuclear arsenal over the past 60 years, and with the Hewlett Foundation, where he researched the decision-making that led to the BP oil spill. While attending Stanford in Washington, Michael interned with Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked with large government clients - most notably the Cost Analysis Division of NASA. Last summer, Michael researched out-of-pocket medical spending and the effect of informing the elderly of retirement savings at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). Today, in addition to his studies, Michael serves as a research associate to the Omidyar Network, a philanthropic impact investment group located in Redwood City. On campus, Michael is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, on the panel of judicial affairs and the organizational conduct board, and a member of the Stanford Varsity Wrestling team. After earning his professional degree in 2013, Michael plans to enter the public sector as a consultant or technology policy analyst.
March - Eric Knudson
Eric is a Public Policy senior minoring in Economics and writing an honors thesis through the Ethics in Society Program on the moral implications of financial aid for international students. Through a concentration in political theory, the Public Policy program has allowed him to bridge his interests in political philosophy and economics. He spent this past summer working at the Reserve Bank of India in Mumbai on an econometric research project testing the impact of speculative trading by commodity index funds on food price volatility. He also served as a Stanford-in-Government fellow at the US Government Accountability Office, where he evaluated the validity of efficiency measures being used by public sector agencies. Eric worked on Capitol Hill for Rep. John D. Dingell and founded his own small business, Serve It Up Tennis. After studying abroad at the Academy of the National Economy in Moscow and completing a tutorial in political philosophy in Oxford, he's excited to continue his involvement on campus as a writing tutor for the Structured Liberal Education program, Co-President of the Pre-Law Society, and a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. In the future, he hopes to work in the valley for a law or venture capital firm. Eric loves to hike, play piano, and cook.
April - Jane LePham
Jane is a senior majoring in Public Policy with a concentration in Finance and Policy Analysis. A Sophomore College seminar on Wall Street and the 2008 financial crisis first sparked her curiosity in financial policy, and she has since pursued this interest at Stanford and across the country. As a student in the Stanford in Washington program last spring, Jane interned at the Federal Reserve Board and spent her summer at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Her work on the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act for both agencies inspired her honors thesis research, which examines changes in CEO pay practices at American banks before and after the 2008 crisis. On campus, she has served as a research assistant in the Graduate School of Business, managing editor for The Stanford Daily newspaper, and editorial director of The Daily's board of directors. This summer, Jane will join the public finance team at Barclays Capital before returning to Stanford in the fall to begin her master's degree in Public Policy. A former competitive figure skater, she hopes to balance a future career in finance by teaching the sport in her free time.
May - Laura Yu
Laura is a senior majoring in Public Policy, with a concentration in Growth and Development Patterns, and a minor in Modern Languages. Spending two quarters abroad, at Stanford in Beijing and Stanford in Washington, both sparked and helped develop her passion for international development and Asian affairs. She has since pursued that interest by interning for the ONE Campaign--a nonprofit dedicated to fighting extreme poverty--the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the Office for Chinese and Mongolian Affairs at the State Department, where she worked on the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. On campus, Laura has been actively involved with student government, conducted international education research at the Freeman Spogli Institute, and served as a Stanford Nonprofits Board Fellow and Haas Public Service Leadership Fellow. She is currently the President of the Forum for American-Chinese Exchange at Stanford (FACES). Upon finishing her graduate degree in Public Policy next year, Laura hopes to find her way back to China, at least in the short term. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, puttering around the kitchen, and chatting with underclassmen as a Public Policy peer advisor.
June - Breanna Jones
Breanna is a senior in Public Policy, with a concentration in Law and Legal Systems. This month, she’ll be graduating with honors after completing a thesis entitled, “California’s Tragedy of the Commons: How a Few Voters Disproportionately Influence County Use of State Prisons.” Dividing her time between Washington, Beijing, and Stanford, Breanna has explored criminal and labor law from many angles. She received a Stanford in Government fellowship to work for the International Labour Organization in Beijing, and later returned there to interview migrants. She then moved to D.C., working for the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of State, and finally the Drug Court. After graduation, Breanna will be taking her lessons in inequity to Oakland to battle the achievement gap on behalf of Teach for America, after which she plans to pursue a career in criminal law. When she is not yammering on about the law, you can find Breanna practicing her Mock Trial arguments or showing off her best salsa moves on the dance floor.
July - Lily Xu
Lily is a recent Public Policy Senior, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a concentration in education policy and a minor in mathematics. She is also a recipient of the Stanford Award of Excellence. Lily found her home at Stanford at the Haas Center for Public Service. For four years, she was an active member and director of Students Taking on Poverty. Through the Haas Center’s Public Interest Law Fellowship, she interned with Neighborhood Legal Services Association in landlord tenant law. This year Lily was an RA twice over. She was a resident assistant for Freshman-Sophomore College and a research assistant at the Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis. Courses like "EDUC 212X: Urban Education, "SIW 105: Education Policy," and "ECON 146: Economics of Education" inspired Lily to pursue a career in education and education policy. In particular, her visit to the Department of Education during her quarter at Stanford in Washington solidified her belief that education equals opportunity. After graduation Lily will attend the Stanford Teacher Education Program, specializing in secondary math.
August - Jason Bade
Jason is a senior majoring in Public Policy, with interests in behavioral economics, issues with GDP, and renewable energy. He currently works with Professor Banny Banerjee at the d.school in implementing behavioral economics and decision making psychology into applications to improve energy behavior. In the summer after his sophomore year, Jason participated in the Public Policy Summer Research College, working as a research assistant to Professor Paul Brest. He wrote updated chapters about subjective utility and alternatives to GDP for Professor Brest's textbook on judgment and decision making. In fall, Jason will be a teaching assistant for Professor Bruce Owen's PublPol 106: Economics of Legal Rules and Institutions. Jason served on the Committee for Undergraduate Standards and Policies for two years as well as the IHUM Student Advisory Panel, and he studied abroad in Paris for a quarter. This year, Jason is working with Stanford's first ever Solar Decathlon team to integrate behavioral design features into the solar house they're designing and building from scratch for a national competition in September. After graduating, Jason eventually plans to pursue a JD.
September - Ian Mathews
Ian is a senior majoring in both Public Policy and Economics, with a focus on energy and environmental policy. Ian's interests are varied: his first summer after Stanford he spent managing a campaign for New York State Assembly; the next summer he spent sailing. He is now working on his economics thesis, investigating the potential role of emissions trading schemes in aviation emissions reductions. Ian also recently returned from a quarter at Oxford, where he pursued tutorials in public economics and energy policy. Some of his highlights with the program have included Public Policy 102, "Organizations;" 104, "Economic Policy Analysis;" and, of course, discussions with peers and faculty at the annual departmental dinner. In his free time, Ian likes to run, bike, and swim, and just generally appreciate the beauty of the outdoors and of the Bay Area.
October - Rebecca Sachs
Rebecca is a senior majoring in Public Policy and Economics, with an interest in health and labor policy. She's currently writing an honors thesis analyzing the impact of health care reform on job-lock using data surrounding Massachusetts' 2006 reform. This past summer, Rebecca had the opportunity to see the interaction between policy and economics firsthand as an intern at the White House Council of Economic Advisors in Washington. This built off of her experience working at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Office of Management and Budget as part of the Stanford in Washington program. She has further pursued her interests by spending a summer studying at the London School of Economics and serving as a research assistant for Professor John Pencavel on a project looking at union decline. Classes like Public Policy 154: Politics and Policy in California and Public Policy 104: Economic Policy Analysis helped Rebecca discover her interest in the quantitative evaluation of policy. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a PhD in Economics.