Rachel Strausman is a third-year, junior-standing public policy major focusing on Policy Institutions and Processes and International/Foreign Policy. She is the Dean’s Vice Chief Ambassador for the UCR School of Public Policy as well as host and manager of the School’s official podcast, Policy Chats. Rachel is a member of University Honors, Camp Kesem, and Womxn in the Law at UCR. Rachel is a recipient of the University Honors Engagement Scholarship and the Dean’s Ambassador Program Scholarship. She is very passionate about education and works with Teach for America and volunteers with Step Up Tutoring. Rachel plans to complete her Bachelor's and Master's in Public Policy at UCR, after which she will complete a fellowship and then attend law school. Ultimately, Rachel hopes to become a Public Interest Lawyer, working directly with people and communities that are impacted by policy decisions and helping ensure that their voices are heard and their needs are addressed. 
 

Samuel Shroff was born in Alton, Illinois, but has lived in Charlotte, Omaha, Fresno, and San Diego. He studies at the School of Public Policy and is expected to graduate in 2026. He wants to work in either law, politics, or foreign service. He is particularly interested in how partisan politics impacts the passage and implementation of United States policy and how citizens choose their representatives. He participated in Mock Congressional Debate for four years during high school and has been a Dean’s Brand Ambassador for the School of Public Policy since his first year. He is now Vice Chief Ambassador.

Liam Burley was born and raised in Aliso Viejo, Orange County, California. He is on a track to graduate within 4 years in Spring 2027 from the UC Riverside School of Public Policy. Liam takes a great interest in housing, environmental, and economic policy. After graduating, he plans to get his Masters in Public Policy through the BA/MPP program and then attend law school to become a lawyer and later pursue politics. He has worked with local politicians and candidates during the 2022 midterm elections. He helped all of his candidates get into office through canvassing for them and aiding in events. Liam also participated and won in the Winter 2024 Policy Debate on Homelessness.

Samantha Baldelomar, a native of Riverside, California, is a sophomore-standing, first-year at the UC Riverside School of Public Policy. She has actively engaged in local politics, working on campaigns for Will Rollins for Congress and Angelo Farooq for State Senate. In addition, she is deeply connected to the Riverside community, interning for SBX Youth & Family Services through their service-oriented Connect program, and previously serving as her former Key Club Division’s Lieutenant Governor. Her exposure to community needs have contributed to her policy areas of interest, which include public health, rent regulation, and immigration. In high school, she was recognized with the Golden State Merit Award and by the President’s Education Award Program. Set to graduate in the Spring of 2028, Samantha intends to earn a Master of Public Policy and pursue higher education, with the goal of building a career in local government.

Rafael Barrientos is second year, Junior standing Public Policy undergraduate at the University of California Riverside, he was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and spent the majority of his life in Bakersfield, California. Before graduating from Stockdale High School, he participated extensively in the debate team and partook as an officer in MEChA. He has been representing the UCR School of Public Policy as an Ambassador for over a year, and is the current president of the conservative bastion known as California College Republicans at UCR. The club and state org have the objectives of transitioning and supporting populist leadership within the Republican Party, distributing information, being a place for conservative students on campus, having fun, and campaigning for local officials through door knocking and phone banking. He is also the Southern Regional Representative for the state organization, which oversees all chapters in Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange County. His passion for history, politics, and philosophy has greatly contributed to his end goal in corporate, government, or international law. He seeks to pursue this objective by majoring in Public Policy at the University of California Riverside from 2024-2027.

Divya Bharadwaj is an undergraduate Public Policy major at UC Riverside graduating in 2025. She is a Dean’s Brand Ambassador for the School of Public Policy, where she interacts with guests of the school, emcees or moderates SPP hosted events, and assists with marketing and communication efforts such as writing press releases. Recently, Bharadwaj served as a Research Assistant for AllSides to create balanced articles to expose people to information and ideas from all sides of the political spectrum. In her free time, she enjoys trying new restaurants, visiting the jewelry section of antique shops, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.

Richard Bozzano grew up on the central coast of California. He is on track to graduate early in the summer of 2026 from the University of California, Riverside, with his B.A. in Public Policy. He is very involved with the UCR rugby team in his position as treasurer. His policy interests include agricultural policy, family law policy, economic policy, and housing policy. Although he has little to no experience in the public sector, he has worked a variety of jobs in the retail, restaurant, and most recently, agricultural industries. He was admitted to UCR through the statewide guarantee program. After graduation, he hopes to quickly enter the workforce in a position in local government or campaign management.

Jennifer Diego was born and raised in Riverside, California. She is a Public Policy major with plans to double major in Political Science. Her interests include immigration, DACA, climate change, and healthcare. She has volunteered with PICO to support low-income students and led a project raising awareness about immigration inequality, fundraising for CHIRLA. In high school, Jennifer was a leader in AVID and co-captain of the basketball team for two years. Of Guatemalan descent, she is driven to honor her immigrant mother’s sacrifices through her dedication to education. After graduation, Jennifer plans to attend law school and pursue internships to advance her career.

Dinara Godage is a senior standing public policy major with concentrations in International and Foreign Policy and Social, Cultural, and Family Policy, as well as a Philosophy minor. She is currently a UCR School of Public Policy Dean’s Ambassador, representing the Dean’s administration to local government officials, donors, and the community as a whole. Additionally, she serves on the program’s Podcast Committee, producing episodes for the School’s official podcast, Policy Chats. She is also the President of UCR’s chapter of Phi Alpha Delta, the pre-law fraternity. She is the elected leader of the organization and fosters members’ interest in the legal field, along with serving as a supervisor and resource for members in all chapter operations. She is also the Assistant News Editor for UCR’s newspaper The Highlander. This past summer, she interned for the American Bar Association’s Commission on Immigration and was a legal orientation provider for current ICE detainees. She assisted with explaining immigrant’s legal rights and the legal procedure. After UCR, She plans to continue to law school with a focus on child advocacy law. 

Esa Hasan is a Public Policy major focusing on Health and Population Policies with a minor in Law and Society, graduating in 2025 with his bachelor's and in 2026 with his Master's. He is an active member of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), coordinating and organizing events throughout the year. He is a founding member of the Kappa Alpha Pi Gamma Chapter and has a role as the Director Of Education, where he organizes study days and hosts LSAT study groups, among other things. This past summer, he continued working as an STDT 3, managing the zero-to-entrepreneurship program.  In the upcoming year, Esa will be a part of the BA/MPP program and, after that, going to a law school where he will focus on corporate law. Aside from academics, Esa played high school soccer as his club's captain for all four years at the national level. Esa is playing for a semi-professional team and plans to play professionally if given the opportunity.

Munazza Khalid is an incoming Master of Public Policy (MPP) student at the University of California, Riverside, with her program set to end in June 2026. Originally from Pakistan, she holds a BBA and an MBA in educational management. Her interests lie in policy analysis and implementation aiming to bridge gaps between policy design and policy implementation. With experience in educational institutions and non-profits, Munazza has developed and executed programs to enhance access to quality education in underprivileged communities. She is a recipient of the Public Policy Fellowship and is committed to initiatives promoting inclusion and equity. After completing her MPP, Munazza aims to work in public sector and policy implementation roles, driving 

Shivani Narang was born and raised in Los Angeles County, California. She is a first-year student in the School of Public Policy, entering as a sophomore. She graduated from Valencia High School (VHS); she was in the Medical Science Academy (MSA) Behavioral Health pathway, and the Media and Photography pathway. She was dually enrolled in the College of the Canyons. Shivani was part of the City of Santa Clarita Youth in Government Program. She was the President of the VHS Women Medical Empowerment Club. In addition, she served on many MSA leadership committees, e.g. Social Media, Event Planning, and Blood Drive Organization Committees. Shivani has been a Girl Scout for 11 years, and participated in many community service events. Through her leadership and volunteer experiences she developed an interest in public policy. She hopes to focus on health policy at UCR. Through the myriad of leadership and volunteer experiences, Shivani has learned the importance of listening to people, researching issues, and developing practical solutions that can be successfully implemented and sustained. She looks forward to advocating for vulnerable community members, and developing the skills to design and implement value-based community programs. 

Paula Omokhomion was born in Walnut Creek, California but raised in Lagos, Nigeria. She is an first-year MPP student at the University of California, Riverside School of Public Policy, and graduated from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in May 2024. She earned her BS in Public Health Nutrition (Health and Society) and double minored in Sociology and Creative Writing. Her policy areas of interest are social protection and international development. She has interned for the Office of Congressman Mark Takano and is the visionary of Expanded Perspectives, an outfit that aims to foster critical thinking in children and youth by increasing their access to multimedia civic education.  Paula received the Carolina Covenant scholarship at UNC-CH and the Vice Provost Excellence Fellowship at UCR. She plans to earn her doctorate and become a professor in the politics of developing economies while being involved in policy analysis and podcasting. 

Dori Pham is currently a freshman at UC Riverside, majoring in Public Policy. He has a strong interest in economic policy, sustainability, and social equity. Before attending UC Riverside, Dori graduated from the International School Ho Chi Minh City with an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. Throughout high school, he was an active leader, serving as the Vice President of the Student Executive Team and Buffaloes House Captain. Dori also participated in the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) Youth Parliament Mock Session, which sparked his passion for governance and policy-making. With a commitment to making a positive impact, Dori aims to contribute to public policy initiatives that address critical societal issues. After completing his undergraduate degree, he plans to pursue further studies and a career in public service.

Christian Salinas is a student at the UCR School of Public Policy of the graduating class of 2026. He is an Ecuadorian-American native to the South Bay area of Los Angeles. He has participated as a School Board Member for the Wiseburn Unified School District and co-led the Student Task Force organization in high school as a Communications Director. During his first year at UCR, Christian worked as a Youth Development Specialist at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Redlands. He would also attend School of Public Policy events such as luncheons and podiums with his mentor from the Peer Mentor Program. He also serves as a member of the Entrepreneurship group at UCR. Christian has also served an internship with the Office of Senator Ochoa Bogh. After graduation, Christian plans on attending law school.

Andrew Shannon is a third year, senior standing Public Policy student in the BA/MPP program, focusing on Policy Institutions and Processes and Environmental policy. He will earn his Bachelors in Public policy in June 2025 and Masters in Public Policy in June 2026. He is a Dean’s Brand ambassador and a committee member of the official podcast of the School of Public Policy, Policy Chats. During highschool, he graduated with a International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma and volunteered at PIH Whittier Hospital. As an All Sides Student assistant, he got to curate his love for politics through writing AllStances where he utilizes research and AI tools to delve into all the perspectives on political issues facing our country. Andrew participated in the UCDC program, interning for the Political Violence lab, expanding his knowledge and passion of politics and news reporting on a global scale. Post graduation, Andrew intends to take his passion and skills to government or the media, shaping meaningful policy discussion. 

Vir Sinha was born in Fremont, California, a suburb in the Bay Area. He is a sophomore standing student at the UC Riverside School of Public Policy and is looking forward to continuing his college education. While he is not fully set on any specific avenue of policy, he does have a strong passion for education policy. He worked closely with teachers to create presentations for his school district on how to improve student and teacher welfare in high schools. Additionally, he was a writer for his school newspaper, where he had the opportunity to meet and interview students, teachers, faculty, administration, and members of his local community. 

Jiaxi (Sybil) Wu was born and raised in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. She is on track to graduate with a M.A. in public policy within two years in Spring 2026 from the UC Riverside School of Public Policy. Her policy areas of interest include abortion policy, education equality, and climate change. She has served as an intern for the Deputy Director (Jifeng Chen) of the Foreign Affairs Office of Guangdong Province, and the Government Affairs Manager Angel of the European Chamber of Commerce in China. She also has served as a teaching/research assistant for Guangdong University of Foreign Studies professor Weijin Wang and Wen Wang. Additionally, Jaixi(Sybil) was a recipient of the Dean’s Fellowship Award of the Public Policy School, and the Honorary Title of Merit Student at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. After graduation, she plans to work towards a career in public service or foreign exchange.