When Matt Pershe attended the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, he discovered a call to public service. He has served as an AmeriCorps volunteer, White House intern, and Philadelphia City Council legislative aide, where he helped a Republican councilman pass legislation in an overwhelmingly Democratic city. A moderate adept at reaching across the aisle, Pershe has worked on a variety of issues, from substance abuse to electric vehicle policy.

Pershe hopes to study the relationship between business and public policy and explore effective approaches to combat poverty as a dual-degree student at McCourt and the McDonough School of Business.