Newsroom
2 Seniors Chosen for Public Policy Program
Two Occidental College juniors, Michael Clegg and Juan German, are among a select group of students nationwide who have been chosen for the Public Policy and International Affairs program for summer 2011.
Clegg, a politics major from Trenton, NJ, will be attending the program at Princeton University, while German, a Diplomacy and World Affairs major from Providence, RI, will attend Carnegie Mellon.
Fellows are awarded full tuition to attend the PPIA Junior Summer Institute, plus a minimum $1,000 stipend and a minimum of $5,000 toward graduate school tuition.
"At Occidental, I have learned how international organizations and nations affect policies. While in this program, I will learn how policies affect the behaviors of states and international organizations. This will allow me to bring a new perspective to the classroom," said German, who will be taking five graduate-level courses over seven weeks this summer and will be given the opportunity to tour the Department of State and meet important political figures. After graduating from Occidental next year, he plans to pursue graduate study in public policy or international affairs.
The PPIA is a national program that prepares young adults for advanced degrees and
ultimately for careers and influential roles serving the public good. PPIA has an outreach focus on students from groups who are underrepresented in leadership positions in government, nonprofits, international organizations, and other institutional settings. For more than 20 years, PPIA has been at the forefront of promoting diversity in public service based on the belief that the United States is better served by public managers and policymakers who represent diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
"I'm very excited and fortunate to attend this program this summer," German said. "I know it will be a life-changing and rewarding experience."
Occidental's Chevalier Program in Diplomacy and World Affairs, founded in 1957, is one of the College's most popular majors and has produced a long list of graduates who have had distinguished careers with the U.S. State Department, international NGOs, and international business. Occidental's United Nations program, one of the few internship programs of its kind for undergraduate students, celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.