Balkans-born youth advocate is fusing law and policy at the McCourt School

Filip Kulakov (MPP’25), a second-year student in the McCourt School’s Master of Public Policy program , was initially drawn to the legal field with aspirations of becoming a judge or public prosecutor, two of the most widely respected legal professions in his native country, North Macedonia. After graduating from Goce Delchev University of Shtip with a bachelor of laws degree, his passion began to shift.

“Witnessing the prevalence of corruption in my country after graduation indicated that there could be better ways of bringing positive change than through a legal career,” he said. “At the same time, USAID was recruiting Macedonians for a year-long leadership program to provide young talent with skill development in advocacy and community organizing.”

Kulakov was selected to participate in 2017, the same year his homeland experienced an influx of refugees and asylum seekers. Drawing on his legal education and support from USAID, Kulakov implemented a small-scale initiative to help combat misinformation that “positioned those in need in an unfair, negative light,” he said. 

One of the leadership program’s implementing parties was the National Youth Council of North Macedonia, a nonprofit organization that represents the interests of young people across the country, regardless of their identities or backgrounds. When a job became available just as Kulakov ended his fellowship with USAID, he took it as a sign to pivot from law to policy. He served as a program manager for several years, spearheading advocacy campaigns to improve the well-being and rights of young people nationwide. 

“My job was to ensure their access to policy- and decision-making processes and help guarantee their voices were heard at the highest levels of power,” said Kulakov, who also served as a delegate to the European Youth Forum.

Finding the ‘missing piece’ to a policy career

Ready to further his career in policy, Kulakov began researching graduate school programs emphasizing quantitative rigor.

“I knew that was the missing piece to my policy career,” he said. “The McCourt School stood out for its curriculum and location at the heart of Washington, DC. I knew my education at McCourt would broaden my policy portfolio.”

Kulakov settled into the McCourt community with ease and wasted no time getting involved. He joined the student-led European Policy Organization, the Georgetown Public Policy Review and the McCourt Student Association’s (MSA) New Student Committee, all while balancing coursework and a research assistantship through the McCourt School Pennywise Foundation Fellowship.

Kulakov put all the best practices he learned through his youth advocacy work to the test in his role on the New Student Committee, helping first-year and returning students build connections and meaningfully engage in campus life. In the spring of 2024, Kulakov teamed up with two of his peers, Vinuri Dissanayake (MPP’25) and Abril Hunter (MPP’25), to participate in the Georgetown Public Policy Challenge . A panel of judges selected the team as one of five finalists for their proposal to reform DC’s Youth Court. In this diversion program, youth impose sanctions and rehabilitation recommendations on their peers.

Now, in his second year at the McCourt School, Kulakov serves as MSA vice president. He was named the 2024-2025 Whittington Scholar for his academic excellence and commitment to service.

Outside of student involvement, Kulakov is conducting research for his thesis on whether a lower voting age affects young people’s trust in political institutions.  

“Seeing democratic decline in my region instilled a commitment in me to work on issues at the intersection of democracy,” said Kulakov.

“Having grown up with a dream of European Union membership for North Macedonia, I really want to explore whether I can use my credentials to support my country’s accession to the EU,” he said. “I hope that one day North Macedonia will be a country where younger generations consider growing old instead of seeking a better life in Western European and overseas countries.”