Alex Gregorio
Hometown: Blue Bell, Pennsylvania
Batten graduation year: 2016
Undergraduate school/major: UVA College of Arts and Sciences, History, 2015
Extracurricular involvements: Jefferson Society, University Peer Advising Link, Student Council, Historical Simulation Society, Graduate Research Assistant 

Talk about an involvement or experience—internship, job, volunteer position or otherwise—that’s deeply shaped you.

During my second year at the university, I joined the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. The experience of being in the organization has greatly changed how I approach problems and talk about issues facing society today. The group afforded me the chance to present my views and policies in a public forum, and pushed back on them with intelligent arguments based on substance rather than simply ideology. 

What brought you to Batten?

I knew I wanted to study history and politics during my college career. But I wanted to focus on the practical realities of how to change systems rather than the theoretical underpinnings of those same systems. The school’s emphasis on leadership and pragmatism convinced me to apply. Batten made it clear that they taught their students how to craft strong policies—and how to implement them.

How has your experience at Batten changed or shaped your perspective?

Batten has definitely changed how I approach problems and create solutions. I recognize that sometimes there is no “best” option to maximize the rewards and outcomes from a given policy; instead, there are often options that minimize downsides. In addition, I have become much more aware of the power of numbers and the importance of good data in making decisions.

What kind of public servant do you think the world needs today?

I think the world needs public servants who are willing to change the status quo when needed—public servants who will take the initiative in solving problems. Predictability is a good thing when dealing with public service, but that is not mutually exclusive with innovation. Public servants should be able to maximize services for the lowest cost within the system.

Talk about your life and interests outside of school.

During my time at UVA, I have been involved in a lot of different extracurricular organizations. I serve as the Batten Graduate School Representative to Student Council and helped create a university-wide peer-advising program (ULink). I’ve also taught a two-credit course at UVA centered around board gaming and strategy, and at Batten, I’ve helped with the Center for Gaming and Simulation to learn more about simulations in the public policy arena.

In 10 years, how do you hope the policy landscape has changed at large? And at the community level?

I hope the policy conversation will have evolved to be much more focused on and strategic at the international level. American foreign policy should have clear objectives and priorities to devote resources to. Domestically, I hope that the U.S. will have developed solutions to long-term problems like entitlement spending and will be finding ways to make such programs more efficient.

Which issues do you think the 21st-century policymaker needs to pay special attention to?

I think the most important issue for American policymakers in the 21st century is the relative decline of American power and resources. This is not because America is growing weaker, but because other nations are growing faster. Soon, hard choices will have to be made about the balance between foreign and domestic priorities, and leaders will have to decide how to make do with limited resources.