New America Announces First Class of Millennial Public Policy Fellows

Washington, D.C.—New America today announces the first class of fellows accepted to the Millennial Public Policy Fellowship, a program for enterprising, mission-driven young adults to work on public policy challenges facing their generation.

Ten fellows were selected from a competitive pool of nearly 500 applicants, and represent a diverse range of socioeconomic, educational, and cultural backgrounds. In addition to being embedded within and contributing to the work of a specific New America policy program, each fellow will create and present an independent project focused on issues affecting young people. At the end of the 11 month program, the fellows will disseminate their research and ideas at a symposium that convenes relevant thought leaders, policymakers, influencers and practitioners.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome this cohort of Millennial Fellows to New America. Each of them stood out among a really strong pool of applicants, and we are excited by their collective potential to pursue policy solutions to the biggest challenges facing their generation,” said Reid Cramer, the initiative’s director.

The Millennial Public Policy Fellowship at New America is supported by the Citi Foundation as part of their Pathways to Progress global initiative to prepare young people for today’s competitive job market. Pathways to Progress supports programs that help young people, ages 16-24, build an entrepreneurial mindset, acquire leadership, financial and workplace skills, and begin to engage in the formal economy through a first job.

The Millennial Public Policy Fellows:

A Fort Washington, Md. native, Braxton Bridgers has a bachelor’s degree in international affairs with a minor in law and public policy from Northeastern University in Boston, Mass. He is interested in both energy and climate adaptation policy. Bridgers will serve as Millennial Public Policy Fellow in New America’s Resource Security program. 

Becky Chao is a native New Yorker who graduated from Duke University, where she studied public policy studies, linguistics, and economics. After college, she developed an interest in antitrust and international affairs as an honors paralegal in the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission. An active community member, Chao works with Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander youth interested in public service opportunities by serving on the board of directors for the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership. Chao will serve as Millennial Public Policy Fellow in New America’s Open Markets program.

Emma Coleman is from Chicago, Ill. She received a BA from Stanford University in international relations and comparative studies in race and ethnicity. She is particularly interested in progressive criminal justice policy and sentencing reform. Coleman will serve as Millennial Public Policy Fellow in New America’s Technology in the Public Interest program.

Christian Hosam was born in the country of Trinidad and Tobago, but has called Bowie, Md. his home for most of his life. Hosam graduated with honors from Wesleyan University in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in African American studies and government. While at Wesleyan, Hosam was a Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellow and a chair of the Edgar Beckham Awards Committee, an awards ceremony dedicated to celebrating those people on campus who were committed to social justice. Hosam brings with him an interest in the racial politics of civic engagement, barriers to entry for potential public officials, and how Millennial politics has the potential to reshape how we think about political participation. Hosam will serve as Millennial Public Policy Fellow in New America’s Political Reform program.

Roselyn Miller, a Long Beach, Calif. native with roots in the Bay Area, holds a bachelor of arts in anthropology from Stanford University. While at Stanford she studied urban structures and relationships between the public and private sector, particularly in relation to the U.S. government, philanthropy, and nonprofit work. With a wide breadth of policy interests, Miller is most passionate about social impact policy and poverty alleviation. Miller will serve as Millennial Public Policy Fellow for New America’s Better Life Lab.

A native of Compton, Calif., Jenny Muñiz has most recently spent time working as a bilingual teacher in San Antonio Public Schools as a Teach For America corps member. Because of her experience as a first-generation Mexican-American and a first-generation college graduate, Muñiz’s policy interests center around urban education and English-learners. Before her work in the classroom, Muñiz graduated from Pomona College with a degree in media studies. At Pomona, Muñiz sought to elevate unheard voices through her work teaching video production at a Native American boarding school, promoting an Oscar-nominated documentary about college campus sexual assault as a post-production intern, and setting the research groundwork for a Getty-funded exhibition of socially engaged Latin American art as a curatorial intern at the Pomona College Museum of Art. Muñiz will serve as Millennial Public Policy Fellow for New America’s Education Policy program.

Aaron Noffke was born in Ann Arbor, Mich., and is a recent graduate from Occidental College, where he majored in philosophy, politics, and economics. Passionate about creating alternative methods of economic development, Noffke has worked as a student labor organizer and labor research analyst while at Occidental College. Noffke will serve as Millennial Public Policy Fellow in New America’s Open Markets program.

Dillon Roseen, from Peachtree City, Ga., is a current Fulbright Scholar in Amsterdam where he conducts research on the intersection of law, politics, and international security. Previously, he graduated with highest honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology where he studied economics and international affairs and served as student body president. His interests include the international law and national security dimensions of cybersecurity policy. Roseen will serve as Millennial Public Policy Fellow in New America’s Cybersecurity Initiative.

Myacah Sampson is from Farmington, N.M. She holds a B.A. in public policy and ethnic studies from Brown University. She is interested in developing policy that centers the experiences of contemporary families. Sampson will serve as Millennial Public Policy Fellow in New America’s Family-Centered Social Policy program.

Spandana Singh is a recent graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. She completed a double major in international development and media studies, as well as a certificate program in technology entrepreneurship. Originally from India, Singh is interested in technology policy with a focus on cybersecurity and countering violent extremism. Singh will serve as Millennial Public Policy Fellow in New America’s Open Technology Institute.