McCourt Scholars
McCourt Scholars are a select group of promising future policymakers and scholars whose background, experience, and academic excellence qualify them for this prestigious award.
Scholarship overview
Each year, up to six incoming students are selected as McCourt Scholars based on the strength of their applications to the McCourt School. The Scholar award includes full tuition, mandatory fees, a stipend and health insurance.
- Executive Master of Policy Leadership (EMPL)
- Master of International Development Policy (MIDP)
- Master of Policy Management (MPM)
- Master of Public Policy (MPP), full-time or evening program
- Master of Science in Data Science for Public Policy (MS-DSPP)
Eligibility and application process
All full-time applicants to MPP, MPM, MIDP, MS-DSPP and EMPL programs who apply by January 15 will be considered for the McCourt Scholars program. Candidates in consideration for the McCourt Scholarship will be contacted and interviewed. No additional application is required.
Questions? Please contact McCourt’s Director of Admissions Julie Ito.
Meet the McCourt Scholars
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Mariana Vazquez del Mercado CastroMPM’21While in law school in Mexico City, Mariana Vazquez del Mercado Castro assumed her career would take a traditional trajectory. And then something changed. She… -
Lisa T WrightMPM’22Lisa Wright enters the Master of Policy Management program in the summer of 2021, and her vision is focused on the opportunity to “think critically about… -
Maryam ShahMS-DSPP’22As a Fellow at Teach For Pakistan, Maryam Khalid Shah saw firsthand how some policies meant to improve the country’s education system were failing to meet… -
Aleksandra SladojevicMPP’19When Aleksandra learned about the Rwandan genocide at age 15, she committed herself to making a difference in the world and participated in local and… -
Christian T UelandMPP’17Christian was born in Napa, California. As a pilot and flight operations manager in Afghanistan, Christian realized that quantitative data can be an excellent… -
Charles Fisher PostMPP’19Charles’ interest in foreign cultures drove him to travel around the world. After a while, however, he no longer wanted to be a passive observer – he wanted… -
Leonel Prieto NovilloMPP/MBA’17Leonel graduated as valedictorian from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in his hometown of Caracas, Venezuela. He worked at Procter & Gamble and for the… -
Tasmia RahmanMIDP’16Tasmia is a Master of International Development Policy candidate. She was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Lawrence University in… -
Megan MiragliaMPP’16A MPP candidate, Megan graduated from American University in 2011 with a dual Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies in… -
Dana MoffatMPP’27Dana Moffat (MPP’27) has a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. At the McCourt School of Public Policy she hopes to gain an education… -
Alvaro Altamirano MontoyaMS-DSPP ’23Wait, is Alvaro Montoya entering McCourt as a student or professor? A reporter could get confused reading about Alvaro’s fourteen published articles, Master… -
Fadhal MooreMPP’21When Fadhal Moore got to Harvard, he faced a realization: Being at the top of his class in his Georgia high school did not prepare him for the rigors of Ivy… -
Breah MortensonMPP’18A graduate of Harvard Law School, Breah wants to understand legal systems so she can affect positive change in this country and around the world, especially… -
Amy OmondiMIDP’27Amy has a B.A. in international relations and affairs from Lewis & Clark College. At the McCourt School of Public Policy, she hopes to leverage data and… -
Maria Antonella PereiraMIDP’23Earning a Master of International Development Policy degree is the rational next step for McCourt Scholar Maria Antonella Pereira. She brings precise,… -
Matt PersheMPP/MBA’22When Matt Pershe attended the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, he discovered a call to public service. He has served as an AmeriCorps volunteer,… -
Paul Luu Van LangMPP’27Paul has a B.A. in international political economy from Colorado College. After the McCourt School, he hopes to start his career with on-the-ground work in… -
Jad MaayahMPP’24During the pandemic, Jad Maayah (MPP’24) graduated from Harvard and joined Waypoint, the immigration and visa consultant app, as a researcher. Realizing he… -
Collin MeiselMPP’18Eight years ago, Collin wanted to travel the world and be a part of something big, but he needed a way to pay for school. The U.S. Air Force enabled him to… -
Rachel JonesMIDP’17Rachel received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Development from Berkeley and has dedicated her career to public service. She is fluent in French and Italian,… -
Manning KalishMPP/MBA’18Manning graduated from the University of Washington, Seattle in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. At the end of his freshman year of college,… -
Anna KonstantinovaMIDP’18Anna realized that there is no simple answer to health care problems after she spent 18 months at a clinic in Kenya. She is passionate about a career in global… -
Sofia KryshtalMPM’26Sofia has a B.A. in Sociology and an M.A. in Political Science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. At the McCourt School of Public Policy, she… -
Kyuin LeeMS-DSPP’24Kyuin Lee is a change-maker whose work has taken her all over the world. Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Lee has landed roles far and wide; in her first… -
Sumin LeeMPM’23Born in South Korea and raised in Canada, Sumin Lee (MPM’23) spent the last seven years serving in the Canadian government on issues related to health and… -
Gloria LiMS-DSPP’22When it comes to her deep passion for renewable energy, Gloria Li has the Florida coastline to thank. In high school, her efforts to protect the natural… -
Naomi LimMPP’17After completing her Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Laws at the University of Queensland, Naomi completed a course at Yale University’s Women’s… -
Jessica JonesMIDP’17Jessica is a graduate of Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a distinction in history. She is an award-winning journalist with extensive… -
Linn GroftMPP’20The day after Linn Groft finished overseeing an intensive summer program for 140-plus middle school students in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, she… -
Michelle HaratiMPP’21A passion for poverty alleviation and immigrant rights led Michelle Harati to join the International Rescue Committee (IRC) after graduating from UCLA. At the… -
Sara HidayatullahMPP’24From Karachi, Pakistan, Sara Hidayatullah (MPP’24) studied economics and public policy at University of California, Berkeley, before joining Applied… -
Forest JarvisMIDP’20After earning a degree in international politics and economics from Middlebury College, Forest Jarvis served as a Fulbright Scholar. Later, as a researcher at… -
Divyanshu JhaMIDP’27Divyanshu has a B.A. in computer science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. At the McCourt School of Public Policy, Divyanshu intends to build a… -
Anupama DathanMPP’18Global health-related efforts have been integral to Anupama work. One of her projects involved convincing major donors to commit $12 billion over a 3-year… -
MIDP’19MIDP’19Austin co-designed and launched China’s first nationwide social enterprise accelerator program and conducted large-scale survey research on Chinese social… -
Nancy DietmanMPP’19Nancy is excited to attend McCourt because of its proximity to policymakers and policy practitioners, the School’s quantitative focus and it’s renowned… -
Lincoln ForanMPP’20Lincoln Foran put his degree in economics from University of Virginia to work at a major international banking company, where he’s now a vice president… -
Marlyn BrunoMPP’23Marlyn Bruno is a Master of Public Policy candidate. She graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with minors in neuroscience… -
Valarie BryantMS-DSPP’21Originally from Michigan, Bryant studied public policy and African studies at Princeton University. It was as an undergraduate that Bryant first discovered her… -
Kyle BurkholderMPP’19In 2010, Kyle co-founded a nonprofit that builds schools, provides scholarships and rehabilitates homeless children in Kenya. He picked up Swahili and… -
Rafael Contreras GomezMPP’20With troubles tearing at this native Venezuela over the past two years, Rafael Contreras has been working in D.C. trying to keep in touch with events back… -
Kiran CorreaMPP’20Kiran Correa lived across a courtyard from the McCourt School as an undergraduate at Georgetown but hadn’t initially planned to return or pursue a master’s… -
Kristina CostaMPM’20Where do you go next after you’ve written speeches for Hillary Clinton, worked in the Obama White House, and helped defend environmental protections under… -
Lillian AlexanderMIDP’20When she was an undergraduate at Harvard, Lillian Alexander spent a summer researching food insecurity and climate change in East Africa. There, she witnessed… -
Alejandra AponteMIDP’16Alejandra is a 2010 graduate of Columbia University, with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science. She spent the last four years with the Abdul… -
Elena BagneraMPP’22Elena Bagnera grew up in Italy, then moved to the UK at age 17 for an educational scholarship. “The approaches to governing were so different in each… -
William BlackmonMPP’17William hails from Olympia, Washington. He has a passion for service and international development. In 2011, he graduated from California Polytechnic State… -
Adam BouyamournMPP’18A citizen of the United Kingdom, Adam has been working as an economic reporter in Abu Dhabi since 2013, writing for various outlets including Bloomberg…