We once again congratulate the Batten Class of 2024! This was our largest graduating class yet, with 98 students receiving their Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and Public Policy degrees and 88 students receiving their Master of Public Policy. And now these graduates are heading out into the world with the determination, empathy, integrity and leadership skills to bridge divides and solve the most pressing policy challenges of our time.  

Our alumni choose a variety of career paths to pursue their passion -- from research roles at think tanks, to congressional staff positions to Fulbright teaching programs. Here are the first destinations of just a few BAs and MPPs of the Class of 2024. 

>> Watch a short video of these alumni

Sarah Boches (MPP) - Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Research Fellow 

Brandon Brown (BA) - Fulbright Scholarship, English Teaching Assistant in Spain 

Tom Corel (MPP) - Center for Strategic and International Studies, Australia Chair Program Intern

• After graduating from the Batten School, I'll be joining the CSIS Australia Chair program, where I will work with Charles Edel to strengthen U.S.-Australian relations. My first assignment will be looking at how China has grown its influence in regions critical to Australian and wider Indo-Pacific security such as Palau.

Sean Dedmon (MPP) – U.S. Government Accountability Office, Policy Analyst 

• I am moving on to work in the United States Government Accountability Office after Batten. I will spend two years in the professional development program, where I will move between multiple projects and research topics. The diverse range of topics I have written about at Batten has prepared me to tackle this constantly changing environment. 

Shannon Dinkler (BA) - William & Mary School of Law, Law Student 

Carolyn Grimm (BA) – Corrymeela (Northern Ireland), Programming and Hospitality Intern 

• Following graduation, I’ll be heading to Northern Ireland to volunteer at a nonprofit called Corrymeela that works in peace building. I was introduced to Corrymeela on a study abroad trip for my capstone project with Professor Paul Martin. I’m so excited to dive further into the reconciliation process in Northern Ireland that I studied this past semester!

Khalila Karefa-Kargbo (MPP) – Capital One, Management Rotation Program

Elizabeth Link (MPP ’24)- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Research Fellow

Isabela Motta (BA) - Accenture Federal Services, Strategy and Consulting Analyst 

Eilleen Powell (MPP ’24) - Brookings Institution, Research Assistant 

Collin Quigley (MPP) - Gartner, Public Sector Consultant 

• I'll rejoin Gartner as a Consultant in their Arlington, Virginia office in August. During my time as a Summer Associate at Gartner last summer, my work pulled from everything I did at Batten from my work as a Research Assistant to Professor Holbein researching election management practices to the lessons in change management I learned in LPA. I'm so excited to apply my education in new ways to serve Gartner's public sector clients.

Tyler Sesker (MPP) - Elon University School of Law, Law Student 

• In the fall I will be attending Elon University School of Law. I am most excited to continue the work that I started in my summer internship at Batten as an advocacy fellow at Elon. My internship allowed me to work closely with those involved in the criminal justice system, and I am excited that this work will continue during my time in law school. Classes with Professor Dobson, Professor Robinson, and Professor Williams all reiterated for me how public policy, the criminal justice system, and social justice advocacy all work in tandem with each other and I look forward to the opportunity to put the skills and knowledge learned in these courses into practice.

Amber Townes (MPP) - Rep. Abigail Spanberger, Staff Assistant in Washington, D.C.

Drew Washington (MPP) - Education Justice Alliance, Youth Organizer 

Virginia Webb (BA) – UVA School of Education and Human Development, Research Assistant 

• After graduation, I will be working as a Research Assistant with SEE-Partnerships, an early education policy research group connected to the UVA School of Education and Human Development. Then in October, I will move to Madrid, Spain to teach English with the NALCAP Public Diplomacy Program as a Language Assistant. I know that my time at Batten has prepared me to Lead From Anywhere, no matter if that is using my policy research skills that I learned in classes like Institutional and Political Contexts with Professor Johannessen or Public Opinion with Professor Jardina or using my enhanced understanding of organizational and group dynamics that I learned in classes like Leadership in the Public Arena with Professor Pennock and Values and Bias with Professor Trawalter. 

Camille Weinberg (BA) - Beacon Hill Associates, Staffing Consultant

• After traveling Southeast Asia with friends I met on a Birthright trip, I will be moving to Washington, D.C. and working at Beacon Hill Associates as a Staffing Consultant! My time at Batten has prepared me for this role by providing me with leadership skills that will allow me to succeed! I am forever thankful for my time at Batten and I look forward to visits back to Grounds in the future!