Public Policy and International Affairs Fellows

The Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA) works to promote the inclusion and full participation of underrepresented groups in public service and to advance their leadership roles throughout our civic institutions serving domestic and international affairs. The goal of the PPIA Junior Summer Institute Program is to help students achieve a Master’s or joint degree, typically in public policy, public administration, international affairs, or a related field.

Each year, PPIA seeks out high-potential undergraduate students from universities across the country to participate in an intensive seven-week Junior Summer Institute (JSI) before their senior year. During their program, fellows are equipped with the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in graduate school and ultimately, in influential roles serving the public good.

2019 UW PPIA Fellows:

Asia Tamaami

My name is Asia Tamaami and I am a current Junior at the University of Washington studying American Ethnic Studies and Education, Communities & Organizations with a minor in Human Rights. Reflecting on my own communities and upbringing in a Somali-Oromo refugee immigrant family, I recognize the ways in which anti-immigrant policies have negatively impacted immigrant and refugee communities access to high-quality social services. As such, my career goals are rooted in advocating for immigrant rights issues to ensure that immigrant populations have access to social services in education, healthcare, legal rights, and economic security. With this in mind, I hope to attend law school upon graduating to pursue a career in public interest law. Overall, I am passionate about serving underrepresented and under-served communities and this mirrors the work that I have been involved in. Currently, I work as a Legal Intern at the CAIR-WA, where I assist the legal department in several projects that highlight distinct civil rights issues that range from citizenship and immigration delays to securing the rights of Muslims to practice their religion freely in the public sphere, schools, places of employment, prisons, and other institutions. Additionally, I also serve as a Student Ambassador on campus through Multicultural Outreach and Recruitment, where I help mentor and assist underrepresented students of color with the college admissions process. Aside from my academic and career interests, I am also passionate about traveling and have had the opportunity to study abroad twice during my time at UW and I have been to South Korea, Italy, Canada, Norway, United Kingdom, Portugal, Netherlands, and France.

Asia’s tips for future PPIA applicants:
I would definitely recommend future students to start their application process early and familiarize themselves with the application. I made the mistake of starting my application a month before the deadline and it was extremely overwhelming because the application process for PPIA is very demanding. I would also recommend future applicants to reach out to past PPIA fellows to understand what a successful application looks like. I would not have been able to submit a successful application without the support of my friend, Liem who had previously been accepted as PPIA fellow.

Iman Mustafa

My name is Iman Mustafa and I am currently a junior at the University of Washington studying Law, Societies and Justice with a minor in English. I am a first-generation college student and the daughter to Ethiopian immigrants. My passion for choosing this path of education is to one day shape public policy around issues of bias in our criminal justice system, more specifically in their use of punishment. I am passionate about working to dismantle mass incarceration because of how it is disproportionately affecting people of color. I am currently conducting research on the school-to-prison pipeline and plan to present my work at the Undergraduate Research Symposium this year. After interning at the United States Attorney’s Office for a year, I knew that I wanted to work in the legal field and serve people through public interest law. I plan to pursue a joint degree in public policy and law to create representation for people of color in policy but also to create representation for their voices. I am actively involved on campus through my work with the Black Pre-Law Student Association (BLSA) by serving as the Philanthropy Chair. I am also a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated and serve on the board as well. Through completing higher education, I aim to become an advocate for people of color by reforming the criminal justice system.

Iman’s tips for future PPIA applicants:
Put your best self forward and don’t limit yourself because you don’t think you can do it.