Founder

Wena is a student at Columbia University studying History and Political Economy. She works to imagine and design culturally responsive social institutions that enable radical social change and economic justice amidst accelerating technological change. Born in New York and living several years in Asia, before attending NYC public schools, these experiences drive her political and legal advocacy for migration labor and transnational development. Most recently, she worked as a Research Assistant in economic development and legal history. She previously worked on labor policy and legal writing at the White House, the Urban Justice Center, the New York State Senate, and the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies. As an APIA Scholar, Truman Scholar (NY’24), and Laidlaw Scholar, she intends to pursue a JD/PhD to reconcile the gaps in labor law and immigration policy to build institutions designed by social technology and democratic innovation.  

Chief of Staff

Rachel is a student at Georgetown University studying Government and Sociology. She is also the daughter of Chinese immigrants, born in Iowa and raised in Auburn, Alabama. After watching her family and many others experience isolation and marginalization in the Deep South, she became deeply committed to racial and economic justice. She has worked in all corners of the political world, from the Departments of Labor and Justice to the House of Representatives and Senate to the Democratic National Committee and a Congressional campaign. Most recently, she interned in the White House and volunteered for Stop AAPI Hate and APIAVote. All of these experiences shape her passion for the Asian American community and worker justice, which she will continue to pursue through her public service.

Director of Strategy and Policy Development

Jay is a student at Brown University studying economics, applied mathematics, and computer science. Growing up in rural Maine, Jay saw firsthand the life-changing impact of public investment in education and defense. Inspired by this, he has interned with the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, the US Treasury Department, the US State Department's Office of Monetary Affairs, and in Maine's Governor's Economic Recovery Committee, helping save Americans nearly $4 billion and guiding $1 billion in effective investments in broadband and workforce development. Jay has also conducted research at Yale Law School, the Federal Reserve, the Brookings Institution, and Brown University, focused on social safety net and international economic policies. He has presented his research to executive and legislative branch policymakers, as well as academics. He intends to pursue a JD and a PhD in economics to analyze and implement evidence-based policy as a researcher and policymaker.

Director of Digital Strategy

Lia Busby is a senior at Bowdoin College with a background in government, urban studies, and dance. She was born and raised in Riverside County, California, and is driven to transform America's approach to affordable housing through innovative economic solutions and local empowerment. Her experience in grant writing, strategic planning, volunteer coordination, and public service through Bowdoin's McKeen Center has allowed her to engage with an array of Maine nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and students driven to benefit the common good. Lia previously worked on infrastructure, labor, and economic policy in the U.S. House of Representatives and tenants’ rights law at Community Legal Aid Southern California. Most recently, she was the youngest guest speaker on affordable housing policy development at a state-wide conference of building professionals and elected officials. After graduating from Bowdoin, Lia intends to pursue a JD/MPP to deconstruct barriers entrenched in both law and policy and ensure a more just, accessible, and affordable future in housing.

Director of Coalitions & Outreach

Kelsey Monaghan-Bergson is a Truman Scholar (WA '24) at the United States Air Force Academy studying Behavioral Sciences with a focus on Sociology and Diversity and Inclusion. A neurodiverse advocate, she addresses systemic inequities and expands opportunities for neurodivergent individuals. Growing up in Tacoma, WA, she witnessed environmental injustices harming marginalized communities, inspiring her commitment to reconciliation. As Democratic Dialogue Project Lead and Diversity and Inclusion Representative, she fosters depolarizing discourse to counter population fracturing. Kelsey plans to pursue graduate studies in sociology to dismantle barriers to equitable employment and advance labor policies that empower neurodivergent populations.

Please note: This does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the DoD or the U.S. Government.

Director of Projects and Programming

Edith Philip is a student at Tufts University studying Economics and English. Hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a region marked by crime, she saw how poverty can grip a city when opportunity is scarce and a government is neglectful. Passionate about making economics accessible to the working class who are often overlooked in these conversations, she aims to bridge progressive economic policy with public understanding. She is inspired by this bell hooks quote: “Were a love ethic informing all public policy in cities and towns, individuals would come together and map out programs that would affect the good of everyone”, and is planning to pursue a PhD in Public Policy to do so.

Director of Research & Development

Anthony is a computer science major at Columbia who builds technology that addresses social challenges. His work has tackled issues like loneliness, mental health, and air pollution, earning recognition from the Today Show, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. Most recently, he led a product team in Tokyo developing exercise technology for older adults. Building on his experience in software development, he aims to pursue applied economics research examining how technological progress and automation reshape the economy, with a focus on balancing innovation incentives with the public good.

Co-Publisher

Emani is a current senior at Columbia University from West Orange, New Jersey. A student of Economics and Political Science, Emani has wide-ranging research and professional experience. Her objective is to use research as a tool to improve political and economic outcomes at various levels of society. Her recent positions include interning in the U.S. House of Representatives in the legislative office of Rep. Mikie Sherrill, as well as internships in portfolio analytics and corporate sustainability research with a financial services company. In 2023, Emani participated in the University of Chicago’s Expanding Diversity in Economics Fellowship. She has also served as a Deputy Field Director and fieldwork intern on various political campaigns, and has worked as a research assistant on an FDA-sponsored public health project at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. A French minor, Emani recently completed a French immersion program at Columbia’s Reid Hall Center and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University.

Co-Publisher

Thai is a student at Columbia University from Bloomington, Minnesota. He has previously worked on international trade and economic policy at the Office of the US Trade Representative and US House of Representatives. Passionate about civic engagement, he has conducted research on how Ranked Choice Voting affects minority voters and interned for national civil rights organizations including the Human Rights Campaign and OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates. He is the New York State Policy Director for What We All Deserve, a youth-led organization advancing economic justice and access to basic needs through grassroots and legislative advocacy. He intends to pursue a JD to reform election laws that promote civil rights and democratic representation for all Americans.

Publication Fellow

Sikirat Mustapha is a student at Columbia University studying Statistics-Political Science and Business. Born and raised in NYC but receiving multidisciplinary studies in South Africa and Mexico, these experiences drive her commitment to democratizing knowledge and began her founding of Sikirat Tutors,  where she provides tangible solutions and aid to under-resourced communities, closing learning gaps all while highlighting the importance of youth voice and communal service. Most recently, Sikirat has worked in legal literacy at Revolt PopLaw, where she analyzes high-profile entertainment law cases to make complex legal concepts more accessible to diverse audiences. Sikirat's love for equity also branches outside of education, where she can be seen at firms like Morgan Stanley and Amazon Web Services, utilizing her learnings to advocate for financial literacy, fair housing, and technological accessibility. As a Stanford Law Scholar and Pimco Future Leader, she intends to pursue a JD/MBA to to combine her expertise in technological innovation with legal accessibility, focusing on making legal services and financial education more accessible to underserved communities while driving systemic change in the intersection of law, technology, and social impact.

Publication Fellow

Lillian is an undergraduate junior at Columbia University majoring in Economics-Mathematics. She is interested in monetary policy, game theory, and labor economics, and works as a research assistant on projects related to child health and welfare policy in the US. Born in Texas, she has also lived in Shenzhen (China), Washington State, and New York, experiences that have shaped her global perspective. She enjoys teaching and works as a teaching assistant for Columbia’s math department and taught a course on Game Theory and Economics at Johns Hopkins’ Center for Talented Youth. In her free time, you can find her shooting archery, watching movies, and reading fiction novels.

Publication & Digital Strategy Fellow

Audrea Chen is a student at Columbia University studying Political Science and Statistics. As a native New Yorker, she is interested in exploring income inequality and sustainability infrastructure. She has previously interned at the Queens County Supreme Court and corporate law firms in NYC.

Publication Fellow

Tahm Loyd is a student at Deep Springs College and formerly an undergrad at Cornell University studying Religious Studies and Economics. Originally from Bloomington, Minnesota, he angrily witnessed climate change dwindle his snow days. Now, he is interested in using finance to fund the green transition and create green policies that are no longer a detriment to growth, but instead, a boon that delivers greater growth rates than traditional fossil-fuel centered society.

Publication Fellow

Jorge Hernandez-Perez is a senior at Columbia University majoring in Ethnicity and Race Studies with a concentration in Statistics. He researches and designs social policies with poor families at the center—paid family leave and public child care among them. Born in Cuba and raised in Florida, Jorge received care and support from his mother and grandmother, the public schools of Sarasota County, and government assistance. Currently, Jorge is a Research Assistant at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Universal Education. Throughout his time at Columbia, he has interned at the Brookings Institution, the Center on Poverty and Social Policy, the New York State Department of Education, the Energy, Equity, Housing, and Health Program (E2H2), and the Early Childhood Initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Center. He co-led a research project on immigrant integration for Columbia’s Undergraduate Committee on Global Thought as a Bartsch Fellow, developed his leadership as a LeadNext Fellow for the Asia Foundation, learned from education experts at the American Enterprise Institute’s Summer Honors Program, and, with an open letter, demanded that Columbia decrease the tuition of affiliated child care centers as the Education Center Director for the Columbia Policy Institute. As a finalist for the Fulbright Scholarship, Jorge intends to research Honduras’ child care programs during his gap year and then pursue a joint JD and Master of Public Policy.

Digital Strategy Fellow

Ada is a Tufts University student studying in Computer Science and Cognitive & Brain Science with a Minor in Urban Studies. A first-generation college student from Boston’s Chinatown, she is passionate about using technology to bridge divides in immigrant communities. Honored with the National Association of Asian American Professionals’ Future Leaders Award, Ada spent years organizing events and advocating for affordable housing and community land protection with Asian Community Development Corporation. Her technical work includes developing AI-powered chatbots for nonprofit leaders nationwide and responsive web applications. Professionally, Ada has interned at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Accenture, and MIT’s Breakthrough Tech AI.  Drawing from her experiences, Ada aspires to reconcile cultural, linguistic, and generational gaps through innovative education and nonprofit solutions.

Digital Strategy Fellow

John Bahia is a first-generation Filipino American and an undergraduate at Columbia University, where he majors in Urban Studies with a focus on Political Science. Born and raised on the Pacific island of Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, John has lived in the Philippines, Long Island, California, and now resides in New York City, which he now considers his home. After completing his bachelor’s degree, he plans to pursue a Master of Public Policy and potentially a Juris Doctor, with a focus on civil rights law and litigation.

Digital Strategy Fellow

Nancy is a recent graduate of Columbia University with a degree in Computer Science. She mainly grew up in the Bay Area but also lived in Texas and Washington State. Nancy is most driven by the intersection of tech and human impact and also bridging the gender gap in tech. She hopes to continue to explore this interdiscpline and human-centered engineering through initiatives like Labor of Change, and is excited to continue to pursue this full time as a SWE at Google. 

Digital Strategy Fellow

Steven is a first-generation Chinese American and recent graduate of Columbia University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science with a minor in Linguistics. Growing up in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Steven developed a passion for technology, artificial intelligence, and language. He has applied his technical expertise at Morgan Stanley and the Columbia Daily Spectator, where he designed and built websites and mobile applications serving over 11,000 users. Steven is dedicated to leveraging his skills to drive innovation and plans to pursue a career in Software Engineering full time.