Summer 2010 Graduate Program in Public Policy Fellows
Alejandra Barraza-Correa | UT Austin Alejandra is a Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Curriculum and
Instruction in Early Childhood Education. She teaches fourth grade in the San Antonio Independent
School District and has a
passion for the education of inner city children. While in D.C., she will be interning at the
Department of Education.
Karen Bassett | UT Dallas Karen will complete her master’s degree in Public Affairs at
the University of Texas at Dallas in August. As part of her degree, she is working on a certification in program
evaluation. She has worked with both
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the Dallas Arboretum on program
evaluation projects. This certification
merges her love of research with her passion for public interest. Her work experience includes 15 years as an
in-house consultant in design of research, with twelve years spent at Frito-Lay. Karen is looking to a career in the federal
government as a way for her to serve the public interest.
Kristine Gloria | UT Austin Kristine
Gloria is a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin and is
pursuing her master's in media studies.Tapping into her interest and
experience in technology, her focus centers on communication policy, specifically copyright and information policy.
Prior to returning to school, Kristine worked for Waggener Edstrom
Worldwide representing several Fortune 500 technology organizations. She has
also written for Austin 3.0 and The
Republic of Austin covering
the tech and start-up community in Austin. Additionally, she has presented at
Austin Music Foundation Technology Bootcamp (2008), Social Media Club (2008)
and a SXSW video submission (2008). While in D.C.,
Kristine will intern for the New
America Foundation on
their Media Policy Initiative.
Jake Maguire | UT Austin Jake Maguire is a student in the American Studies PhD track
at UT Austin. Before coming to Texas, he
spent several years working in Democratic politics in Boston and New York. He
has also worked with the New York-based, homelessness non-profit Common Ground
Community and the growing Student Volunteer Foundation. Jake is excited to intern
in the Communications Office at the Center for American Progress. He graduated
from Amherst College in 2007 with a dual degree in American Studies and Black
Studies.
Leslie McCormick | UT Austin Leslie is a first year graduate student at the University of
Texas at Austin, pursuing a Master of Arts in Journalism. Originally
from Nebraska, she has written and edited
articles for the Burt County Plaindealer,
the Midlands Business Journal and for
Boys Town, an international nonprofit
organization dedicated to the care of at-risk children. For the past few years she
has worked on public affairs initiatives for the National Guard Bureau, the
U.S. Army and the Department of Homeland Security. She has served as a member of the Austin Kiwanis Young Professionals, the
public relations director of the Nebraska Employer Support of the Guard and
Reserve and a media coordinator for the Omaha Metropolitan Medical Response
System.
Stephanie Phillips | UT Austin Stephanie M. Phillips is a third year Higher Education
Administration doctoral student in the College of Education at the University
of Texas at Austin. Phillips earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science
degrees in Social Work from Texas Southern University and UT, respectively. Her
research interests include equity and access in higher education, the role of
context in education policy implementation, the impact of social and cultural
context on college readiness, the
intersection of race, gender, and class on student achievement, and
implications for institutional fit for African American undergraduate students.
Phillips is currently serving as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Meadows
Center for Educational Risk at UT. She will be interning with the White House
Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Sarah Sayles | UT San Antonio Sarah Sayles is a
graduate student of Public Administration at University of Texas San Antonio. She
is an active member with the American Humanics Association volunteering with
nonprofits in the community. Prior to the
Archer Fellowship, she interned with the U.S. Department of State in Paris.
After graduation, Sarah aspires to work in international affairs. She is also a
member of the Alpha Chi Honor Society. During her free time she enjoys studying
language, traveling, and attending art events in the city. While in D.C., Sarah
will intern in the office of Congressman Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23).
Kaela Smith | UT Dallas Kaela
is currently pursuing a Masters of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at
Dallas. During her time as an
undergraduate at UTD, she worked as an Advisor for the Public Service living
learning community. Kaela represented
the university as a member of the Orientation Team for two years and served as
a Peer Advisor for residential life for a year and a half. For the past four years, she has spent her
spring break vacation volunteering for Dear Neighbor Ministries in Wichita, Kansas.
In Spring of 2008, she was nominated for student leader of the year. This summer, Kaela will be interning for the
office of Congressman Ted Poe.
Daniel Spikes | UT Austin Daniel received a B.A. in English from The University
of Texas at Austin and a M.A. in
Educational Leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University. He is a former seventh grade
English/Language Arts teacher and high school assistant principal. Daniel is currently
a second year doctoral student in the Educational Policy and Planning Program
at UT Austin and will be working as an intern for the U.S. Department of
Education this summer.
For
the 2009-2010 academic year, Daniel served as the president of the Graduate Student
Assembly (GSA).
Meghan Vail | UT Austin Meghan
is pursuing a dual Master's degree in Latin American Studies and Public Affairs
at the University of Texas at Austin. She received her BA in Hispanic Studies
and History from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006. Her research interests
include human rights in Latin America, immigration, and U.S.- Cuban relations.
She is currently conducting her Master's research on post-Revolutionary Cuban
migration to the U.S. and Operation Pedro Pan. Meghan is working as a Cuba
Intern at the Center for International Policy this summer.
David Walls | UT Dallas David Walls is a graduate student at the
University of Texas at Dallas and will graduate with a Masters of Arts in
Political Science – Legislative Studies in August 2010. Since the fall of 2009, David has worked as the
Deputy Regional Director of Texas for Business Executives for National Security
(BENS), a Washington, D.C., based organization that is the primary channel through
which senior business executives work to help enhance the nation's security. He received his
undergraduate degree in Management Science from Southern Methodist University,
and he also has an MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington. This summer David will intern with the Family Research Council.
Tyler Weiland | UT San Antonio Tyler Weiland is a Graduate Student at
the University of Texas at San Antonio where he is pursuing his Master’s Degree
in International Politics with a specific concentration on government affairs
within the European Union. While in D.C.
Tyler will be interning with Marathon Oil in their department of government
affairs. In the past, he has
worked with the Texas House of Representatives, held the position of a
constituent representative for Governor Rick Perry’s re-election campaign, and
has accepted an internship with the State Department in Brussels, Belgium for
the Fall of 2010.
David Wogan | UT Austin David Wogan is a third year dual
degree student at UT Austin pursuing masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering
and Public Policy. His research interests lie in the potential production of
low-carbon fuels in Texas, particularly algae-based biofuels. David chose the
dual degree program because he believes many challenges our society faces are
multidisciplinary in nature and we must improve communication between the
technical and policymaking communities. David is originally from Austin and
received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UT Austin before working at
National Instruments. This summer, David will be an intern in the White
House Council on Environmental Quality as a member of the Energy and Climate
Change team.
Alesia Za Gara | UT El Paso Alesia Za Gara is a Graduate student at The University of
Texas at El Paso, where she is majoring in Communication Studies with a focus
on Environmental Communication. She has
been involved in multiple school organizations including Lambda Pi Eta Honor
Society, NCA, and Golden Key International Honor Society to name a few. In
2009, she spent her summer studying the use of social marketing as a way to
promote environmental conservation in Indonesia. Currently, Alesia is a student lecturer and
teaches Public Speaking at UTEP in addition to being the Marketing Coordinator
for a local Financial Planning Firm in El Paso. While in D.C., Alesia will be the Marketing/Communication intern for The
National Parks Foundation.