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.

Rafael Barrientos 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 where he took part in invitationals, including various regional debate tournaments. In the last two years, he became active at his neighborhood church, participating in mission trips and the organization of events alongside the church's youth ministry. He was also a captain to the MEChA Hispanic club on his high school campus, being responsible for sponsoring and holding a variety of cultural events and activities throughout the school year. 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.

Colin Donahue was born and raised in Rancho Cucamonga, California. He is on track to graduate in only four years at UCR in Spring 2026 with a Master's in Public Policy and a Bachelor's in Economics due to his previous and current exceptional academic record. As a Dean’s Ambassador, he has gained experience assisting his fellow ambassadors at many SPP events, and even led the 2024 Winter Policy Debate. After graduation, he plans to earn a Master of Public Policy and potentially move on to law school, eventually ending up in a career in public service.

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 the Executive Board, chair members, and general members in creating events. This past summer, she interned for Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center at one of their community schools to shadow behavior therapists and increase her understanding of child development. After UCR, She plans to continue to law school with a focus on child advocacy and family law. Apart from academics, Godage has been learning Indian Classical dance, Bharatanatyam, from the age of seven and completed her professional debut in June of 2022. She continues this passion within UCR through the school’s team, Abhinaya. 

Esa Hasan is a Public Policy major focusing on Health and Population Policies with a minor in Law and Society graduating in 2026. He is an active member of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), where he coordinates and organizes events throughout the year. He is an active member of UCR’s chapter of Phi Alpha Delta, the pre-law fraternity, and is a part of the academic committee. This past summer, he worked with his local soccer club, coaching the club teams of underserved areas.  In the upcoming year, Esa plans on joining the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program and, after that, going to a law school where he will focus on international law. Aside from academics, Esa played high school soccer as captain all four years at the National level for his club. Esa is playing for a semi-professional team where he plans on playing professionally if given the opportunity.

Derek Pedigo is an undergraduate public policy major focusing on Policy Institutions and Processes and International and Foreign Policy. Throughout his journey, Derek has demonstrated a strong commitment to public service and leadership. He currently serves as a Dean’s Ambassador for the School of Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside. Some of his past roles include serving as a youth commissioner, a summer camp counselor, and a contingency operations intern for the Executive Office of the President. He looks to begin working in emergency management after graduating in 2024. 

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. After graduation, Christian plans on attending law school.

Andrew Shannon is a third year, junior standing Public Policy student focusing on Policy Institutions and Processes and Environmental policy. He is a Dean’s Brand ambassador and a committee member of the official podcast of the School of Public Policy, Policy Chats. Andrew is on track to receive his Bachelors and Masters degree at UCR. Andrew hopes to work in some form of government in the future as he has a passion for the sphere of politics and helping people.  He volunteered at PIH Whittier Hospital throughout highschool. 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. 

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.