Student updates – fall 2024

Francis Amedoadzi (MPA student) joined the UW–Madison Population Health Institute as an evidence and policy analysis project assistant for the 2024-2025 academic year. He will work with the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program, which is dedicated to advancing health equity and creating valuable resources and tools that empower communities to identify core challenges, consider historical factors, and apply evidence-based solutions.

Brelynn Bille (MPA student) was named as one of the 2024 Troxell-Glicksman awardees. The awards, which are given by the UW–Madison College of Letters and Science, recognize students who demonstrate excellent intellectual ability and curiosity, community engagement, and global awareness. Bille is an accelerated MPA student who completed a bachelor’s degree in community and non-profit leadership with certificates in public policy and disability rights and services in May 2024.

Lacey Flammer (health policy certificate) completed a summer internship as an international operations intern with Global Patient Services at Cleveland Clinic International and Emerging Markets. During the internship, she worked on a variety of impactful projects, from mapping patient journeys across different regions and payors to collaborating on an international insurance project and analyzing patient comments to enhance care.

Thavon Her (certificate in public policy) was featured in a UW–Madison Summer Term story about student summer scholarship experiences. She received a Summer Finish scholarship, which helped her graduate with a bachelor’s degree in gender and women’s studies at the end of the summer. She hopes to pursue a legislative internship in the future and used the two summer courses she took over the summer to build familiarity with legislative issues.

Ben Jaccard (MIPA student) was selected as the recipient of a DACOR Bacon House Foundation Graduate Fellowship for the 2024-25 academic year. DACOR is an organization of foreign affairs professionals who are focused on international impact. The fellowship will allow Jaccard to build connections with other policy professionals and will provide a $10,000 fellowship for this academic year.

Tyler Katzenberger (certificate in public policy 2024) received three Society of Professional Journalists awards in the categories of breaking news reporting, investigative reporting, and regional political reporting for stories he wrote as an intern and fellow with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Allison Keeley (MIPA student) joined the Wisconsin Alliance for Civic Trust as their new state coordinator. Keeley began her political training with Dr. Kathy Cramer at UW–Madison, and she has worked as an editor and host of the UW–Madison Political Science Department’s 1050 Bascom podcast.

Sarah Kopp (certificate in health policy) was featured in a UW–Madison Summer Term story about student summer scholarship experiences. Kopp, who is majoring in health promotion and health equity, took two courses over the summer as part of the UW–Madison Undergraduate Scholarship for Summer Study. Her Legal Studies 473: Heath Impacts of Unmet Social Needs course gave her the opportunity to work directly with patients at a local clinic to help them identify and connect with social and legal services.

Ali Mammadov (MPA student) founded a new organization called HopEdu, which aims to help low-income students achieve their dreams of studying abroad. This year, Mammadov also participated in the Eurovision Song Contest as a member of the official international media delegation, and his interviews were broadcast to millions across Europe.

Summer Mitchell (MPA student) was selected to receive a National Forum of Black Public Administrator scholarship, an award that honors exceptional scholarship and leadership among African American and minority students engaged in public service. The award was presented at the National Forum for Black Public Administrators Conference in Baltimore.

Shannon Skinner (certificate in public policy) was awarded the Paul A. Volcker Government Internship Award, inspired by Mr. Volcker’s legacy his lifelong commitment to the public good.

Eli Tsarovsky (MPA-MPH student) presented on developing a new online suicide prevention training program for UW–Madison graduate students at Showcase 2024, an event that highlights exciting innovations and improvements across campus. Tsarovsky is a suicide prevention graduate assistant at University Health Services. Over the summer, he was also appointed to the Board of Directors of Downtown Madison, Inc. and led a workshop for the summer cohort of PEOPLE pre-college students at UW–Madison on the importance of civic engagement in local government.

Megan Westerman (MPA student) has accepted a full-time position with the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau, which supports the Legislature in its oversight of Wisconsin government, starting in summer 2025. Westerman interned with the LAB as a performance evaluator intern over the summer.


Subscribe to our newsletter