Malcolm Brogdon (MPP '16) had a megaphone in his hand and family history on his mind. It was May 30 in his native Atlanta, and hundreds were listening to Brogdon address the fury that had swept America since the death of George Floyd.

The novel coronavirus crisis disproportionately affects already vulnerable populations — and Virginia’s refugees are no exception. In today's Washington Post, Batten alum Hannah Gavin (MPP '20) urges Virginia lawmakers to continue looking out for its most vulnerable in these unprecedented times of isolation, uncertainty and negativity.

Batten professor Andy Pennock spoke with a panel of alums representing federal, state, and local government for last week’s edition of Batten’s Expert Chat Series.

Recent Batten alums are making their mark across the sectors and around the globe. Of those seeking positions, 99% of graduates from Batten’s Bachelor of Arts degree program and 96% of those who graduated from the Master of Public Policy degree program secured a career destination within six months of graduating.

Batten alum Kathryn Babineau (MPP ’13) is a Ph.D. student in the University of Virginia's sociology department, where she studies globalization, labor rights, and public and private regulation. Previously, she worked as a human rights investigator for the Fair Food Standards Council and as a research coordinator at National Defense University.

As the co-founder of Myanmar Recycles, a plastic recycling company cleaning up the dirtiest post-consumer plastic film in Myanmar, Mimi Wu (MPP ‘09) remains committed to inciting positive change in communities around the world.

Master of Public Policy (MPP) graduate Isabela Medina-Maté has wasted little time since she graduated from the Batten School last May.

Last April, Baylee Eby (MPP '15) launched Dreamer & Co, a social impact company whose mission is to provide job skills and a steady income to young women in the Horn of Africa.

Michael Russell recently joined the Global Partnerships Department for the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he is responsible for generating revenue through sales of marketing/media platforms and finding creative ways to integrate partners within the NBA’s business. Previous to joining Global Partnerships full-time, he spent two years in the NBA’s Associate program, a rotational program across different departments within the company. He graduated as a member of Batten's 2016 undergraduate class and is proud to call UVA a home away from home.

Policy is everywhere. Lead from anywhere.

When I first read this slogan, I didn’t think much of it. Catchy, sure, but what does that even mean? At the time, I was a third-year at UVA, and I had yet to walk through the doors of Garrett Hall and meet some of the most inspiring and ambitious people that I know to this day.

I applied to Batten for two reasons: One, I was passionate about social causes. Policy seemed like a practical way to make an impact. Two, if I’m being completely honest, I had no idea what I wanted to do after UVA and an extra year seemed like a good way to buy some time.