Student Stories

This holiday season, the Batten School community came together once again to give back and act in meaningful service. During a semester that was peppered with impactful events, both tragic and uplifting, the opportunity to thoughtfully commemorate the end of the academic period was a powerful reminder of what being a part of Batten means.

Over 250 volunteers from the Batten School went into the community to work with 25 community partners as part of the 13th Annual Batten Builds event.

The Batten School welcomed new students for post-graduate Master of Public Policy, Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Leadership, Minor in Public Policy and Leadership, and Minor in Social Entrepreneurship programs this year in an exuberant kick-off to the semester.

Cooper Cramer, a rising fourth-year and incoming student in Batten’s Accelerated Master of Public Policy program, spent 10 weeks this summer in an internship with Virginia’s Office of the Governor. Cramer served as a “transformation associate” in the Governor’s newly formed Office of Transformation, a position that he says has helped him focus more clearly on career options.

From Valedictory Exercises Friday afternoon to Batten’s signature Academic Regalia Ceremony on Saturday and Final Exercises on Sunday, this weekend marked the first return to the full custom of in-person UVA graduation since 2019.

The Pilot and Legacy Awards, named in honor of the Batten School’s late founder, Frank Batten, Sr., are the most prestigious student-nominated awards for graduating Master of Public Policy students and students graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Leadership.

Batten School student Alyssa Candelmo said she aims to be a person who makes “positive decisions” for minorities and marginalized communities. 

After receiving his undergraduate degree from George Washington University, Batten student Cam Morales (MPP ’22) landed a job with renowned international law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, where he worked as a public policy specialist. While the work was immensely satisfying, he felt like something was missing. That led him on the path to the Batten School’s unique graduate program.

Ten Batten students and alumni — the highest number to date — have been selected as finalists for this year's prestigious Presidential Management Fellows Program, which is designed to develop a strong cadre of future government leaders.

Two Batten students say the new January term leadership course changed how they view both the presidency and policy in general.

After an unfortunate season-ending injury at the beginning of her second year with the WNBA’s New York Liberty, Jocelyn Willoughby has returned to Grounds to finish her Master of Public Policy degree at Batten.

The Virginia Policy Review, Batten’s oldest student organization, offers an ever-expanding space for people with differing perspectives to convene and converse.