October 21, 2024 Meet the Batten Lead Ambassadors Admissions Blog Tags Events Student Life Batten Ambassadors BA Accelerated MPP Each year, the Batten Admissions team recruits Batten Ambassadors to help share the student experience with prospective Batten students. This year, we have ten Lead Ambassadors, six of whom are pursuing a BA in Public Policy and Leadership and four of whom are pursuing their Master of Public Policy (MPP). Our six undergraduate Lead Ambassadors--Wyatt, Chloe, Mariana, Alinor, Lily and Sanjana--are current 3rd and 4th year students who have pursued a wide variety of majors and minors along with their BA in Public Policy and Leadership. Of our MPP Ambassadors, Claire is a postgraduate student who joined Batten after completing her undergraduate degree, and Deirdre, Cat, and Avery are our Accelerated MPP students. Our Accelerated MPP allows current UVA undergraduates to earn both a bachelor's degree and MPP in a total of five years of coursework, whereas our traditional MPP is a full time, two-year program. Each Ambassador brings a unique perspective on life at Batten, and you will see them at many of our events throughout the year such as information sessions, application workshops, and special events, all of which can be found here. Read on to learn more about our Lead Ambassadors! Meet the Lead Ambassadors Name: Chloe Alpert Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Year: 4th Year, Class of 2025 Major(s)/Minor(s): Public Policy and Leadership Major; American Government Minor Email: vhq2bz@virginia.edu Why I Chose Batten: When I first learned about the Batten School upon my acceptance to UVA, I was immediately interested in its future-focused, impact-driven mission. Learning about effective ways to create policies and the unique ways to implement them, I found unprecedented value in the course material and conversations with faculty. Favorite Batten Project or Class: Either LPPS 3380: Poverty, Learning, and Education with Dr. Roorbach or my ride-along with the Albemarle County Police Department through Dr. Williams’ LPPS 3310: Police-Community Relations Class Fun Fact About Me: I studied abroad in Florence, Italy in the spring! Name: Mariana Ortegon Andrade Hometown: Fairfax, Virginia and born in Cali, Colombia Year: 3rd Year, Class of 2026 Major(s)/Minor(s): Public Policy and Leadership and Global Development Studies Double Major Email: kak9by@virginia.edu Why I Chose Batten: I learned about Batten through the Bridge to Batten (B2B) Cohort (LPPP 2050), where I learned what public policy was and how to apply it to the issues I care about. In B2B, we learned about policy issues UVA students face like insurance verification, financial aid packages, and access to career resources. I wanted a major where I could solve problems people face through a policy lens, whether that be inequities undocumented immigrants face, public housing, or the criminal justice system. I chose Batten to help me develop the skills to tackle societal issues head-on. Favorite Batten Project or Class: My favorite class so far has been LPPP 3620: Engaging Policy Communities with Professor Paul Martin. Although learning political theory is tricky, learning to apply theories of power on real world policies has been fun and interesting. In one of my engagement papers, I addressed movement building and how different student groups on the grounds organize collectively to protest global political issues. And within the policy group project, I have the opportunity to research undocumented child labor and write a brief addressing an issue that is invisible to many. I love that the class engages me intellectually and allows me to apply it to political advocacy. Fun Fact About Me: I love to watch movies and my all-time favorite is Spirited Away. Name: Cat Ballard Hometown: Winchester, Virginia Year: 1st Year MPP, Class of 2026 Major(s)/Minor(s): Foreign Affairs Major, Double Accelerated MPP Email: fsh3qd@virginia.edu Why I Chose Batten: I chose Batten because it fosters my passion for public policy and provides opportunities to connect with a community of like-minded individuals. Specifically, I chose the Accelerated MPP because it allows me to save both time and money while pursuing my educational goals. Favorite Batten Project or Class: LPPL 7410: Psychology for Leadership Fun Fact About Me: I went hiking in Patagonia this summer! Name: Deirdre Belger Hometown: Hopkinton, MA Year: 1st Year MPP, Class of 2026 Major(s)/Minor(s): Government Major, Double Accelerated MPP Email: ttx9rq@virginia.edu Why I Chose Batten: I wanted to study public policy as I believe it’s the foundations for change: my Government major gives me the context and the history, and public policy gives me the tools to fix the “now.” I chose to pursue my MPP as it sets me up to address the issues in our world now from a career perspective. Favorite Batten Project or Class: LPPS 3230: Public Policy Challenges of the 21st Century Fun Fact About Me: I’ve been to nearly 30 concerts! Name: Wyatt Carter Hometown: Chesterfield, VA Year: 4th Year, Class of 2025 Major(s)/Minor(s): Public Policy and Leadership Major, German Minor Email: vdn3js@virginia.edu Why I Chose Batten: I chose Batten because of our school’s curriculum being based in providing tangible skills to prepare students for careers in public service, as well as our school’s individual culture, and the unique resources afforded to students enrolled in Batten. Favorite Batten Project or Class: Favorite Batten Class: LPPP 3559: Just Policy: Justice, Goodness, & Public Policy Fun Fact About Me: I’m fluent in German! Name: Lily Egbert Hometown: Aston, Pennsylvania Year: 3rd Year, Class of 2026 Major(s)/Minor(s): Public Policy and Leadership Major Email: mcq3qj@virginia.edu Why I Chose Batten: I chose Batten because of the application-based learning and flexibility of the degree. I can combine my passion for politics, leadership building, and acquiring quantitative skills to my future career in public service. Favorite Batten Project or Class: LPPS 3310: Police-Community Relations Fun Fact About Me: I am a huge Philadelphia Sports Fan! Name: Claire Geith Hometown: Hampton, VA Year: 2nd Year MPP, Class of 2025 Email: cg4htf@virginia.edu Why I Chose Batten: I chose the MPP at Batten because it was the program that seemed to expose me to a new way of learning. The mix between qualitative and quantitative classes was appealing. I connected with the school when I visited Grounds and talked to current students! I also enjoyed hearing about the careers that alumni took, which made me realize how much opportunity stemmed from the program. Favorite Batten Project or Class: The 48-hour project in LPPP 6250: Policy Analysis was my favorite project! Fun Fact About Me: I’m a triplet! Name: Sanjana Jaiswal Hometown: Scarsdale, NY Year: 3rd Year, Class of 2026 Major(s)/Minor(s): Public Policy & Leadership and Media Studies (with a concentration in Film) Double Major Email: cwf3ub@virginia.edu Why I Chose Batten: Every Batten course I’ve taken so far has challenged me to flex invaluable critical thinking and problem-solving skills to more deeply understand the world problems I care most about. Being in Batten has widened my perspectives and helped me strengthen leadership skills I didn’t know I had! Favorite Batten Project or Class: LPPS 4260: Politics of Development Fun Fact About Me: I sing in an Acapella group on Grounds, the Virginia Belles! Name: Avery Sigler Hometown: Winchester, Virginia Year: 1st Year MPP, Class of 2026 Major(s)/Minor(s): Foreign Affairs Major, Double Accelerated MPP Email: exh7mw@virginia.edu Why I Chose Batten: I chose Batten because it allows me to narrow my career interests even further and build upon my major. I think that understanding public policy will be even more important in the coming years. The expedited timeline will also allow me to explore other opportunities after university, while not worrying about applying to graduate schools. Favorite Batten Project or Class: LPPL 7410: Psychology for Leadership Fun Fact About Me: I’ve visited 27 countries! Name: Alinor Smith Hometown: Alexandria, Virginia and Oviedo, Florida Year: 4th Year, Class of 2025 Major(s)/Minor(s): Public Policy and Leadership and English Literature Double Major Email: srf6xu@virginia.edu Why I Chose Batten: Batten gave me the opportunity to pursue my passions of education, child advocacy, leadership social service, history, law, and theory in a widely applicable fashion—and to eventually find ways to enact change in all these fields. Another reason I chose Batten was because of the small cohort size—it's incredible to have so many resources at your disposal and to feel like a big fish in a small pond (even if the pond is actually full of other really big fish)! Favorite Batten Project or Class: LPPS 5335: Wicked Problem of Gun Violence Fun Fact About Me: I play on the Virginia women’s rugby team!