Princeton’s Class of 2018 Boasts 114 Seniors from the Woodrow Wilson School

Jun 08 2018
By Sarah M. Binder

On June 5, 114 seniors who majored in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs graduated as part of Princeton University’s Class of 2018. Among them are members of eight Ivy League Championship teams, class officers, college theater thespians, residential college council members, Pace Center volunteers and Orange Key tour guides.

During their time at the Woo, the seniors researched some of today’s most important policy issues, including the persistence of poverty in the United States, international migration and immigrant integration, Medicaid and access to health care, and international relations.
 
Congratulating seniors and their family and friends at a Class Day celebration on June 4, Dean Cecilia Rouse said, “Wherever the future takes you, I hope you will take a bit of the spirit of Princeton-inspired public service with you. Remember that service comes in many different shapes and sizes. The foundation you have gained here in the past four years will equip you all to be active participants in our civic society.”

The following Woodrow Wilson School seniors received distinguished awards and prizes during Class Day, which were presented by Undergraduate Program Faculty Chair Noreen J. Goldman.

Congratulations to all members of the Woodrow Wilson School Undergraduate Class of 2018. Welcome to the Woo alumni family!

Woodrow Wilson School Prizes and Awards

The Myron T. Herrick Prize – which is the highest thesis honor for an undergraduate at the Woodrow Wilson School – was awarded to Jordan Thomas for his thesis, “Achieving the Ultimate Goal: School-based Support Services for Pregnant and Parenting Students in the Newark Public School District.” Thomas’s adviser was Elizabeth Armstrong, associate professor of sociology and public affairs, and the second reader was Noreen J. Goldman, the Hughes-Rogers Professor of Demography and Public Affairs.

This prize is awarded to the writer of the best senior thesis overall in the Woodrow Wilson School.


The Lieutenant John A. Larkin Memorial Prize was given to Carmen Huynh, whose thesis title was “From Separate, To Equal, To Equitable: A Reconceptualization of School Integration Policies Through the Analysis of Tipping Behavior and Segregation Dynamic.” Huynh’s adviser was Alexandre Mas, professor of economics and public affairs, and the second reader was Marlaine Lockheed, lecturer of public and international affairs.

This award is given to a senior or seniors who has or have written the best thesis in the field of political economy or on a broadly interdisciplinary subject in which economics plays the most important part.


The Richard H. Ullman Prize was given to Caroline Jones for her thesis, “‘The Lady is a Hawk’: The Impact of Gender on Risk Tolerance Exhibited by U.S. Secretaries of State.” Jones’s adviser was Keren Yarhi-Milo, assistant professor of politics and international affairs, and the second reader was Andrew Moravcsik, professor of politics and public affairs.

This award is given to the senior who writes the best thesis on United States foreign policy.


The Woodrow Wilson Senior Thesis Prize was given to Mark Goldstein, whose thesis title is “Climate Change in American National Parks: Impacts, Management, Communication, and Public Perception.” Goldstein’s adviser was Denise Mauzerall, professor of civil and environmental engineering and public and international affairs, and the second reader was Alan Blinder, the Gordon S. Rentschler Memorial Professor of Economics and Public Affairs.

This prize is awarded to a senior/s who writes a thesis of unusual merit.

Goldstein’s thesis also received the Willard Thorp Senior Thesis Prize from the Program in American Studies, as well as the Environmental Studies Book Prize in Environmental Social Sciences from the Princeton Environmental Institute.


The Gale F. Johnston Prize in Public Affairs was presented to Molly Bordeaux.

This prize is awarded to a senior who has shown both great improvement and achieved excellence in work at the Woodrow Wilson School.


The Class of 1924 Award went to Alessia Azermadhi and Shobhit Kumar.

This prize is awarded to senior(s) whose contribution to a policy seminar has been judged most outstanding.


The Donald E. Stokes Dean’s Prize was given to Natalie Fahlberg, Diego Negron-Reichard, Sarah Sakha and Nicholas Wu.

This award recognizes a senior or seniors who has/have displayed extraordinary leadership and made the most significant contributions to the Undergraduate Program and to the Woodrow Wilson School.


Prizes Awarded by Other Programs

The following Woodrow Wilson School graduates received prizes from other departments:

The T.A. Barron Environmental Leadership Prize was awarded to Christopher Shin.

This award is given by the Princeton Environmental Institute to the senior who has distinguished himself or herself by showing exceptional dedication to environmental concerns, not only in formal classes and independent academic work but also by leading and encouraging activities among fellow students and in the community at large.


Julia Song won the Global Health and Health Policy Senior Thesis Prize for her thesis, “The Impact of Hospital Closures on Quality of Care in New York City: An Analysis of the New York State Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century.” Song’s adviser was Heather Howard, lecturer in public affairs, and the second reader was C. Jessica Metcalf, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and public affairs.

This prize is awarded in recognition of the most outstanding thesis written by a student earning a certificate in Global Health and Health Policy.


The Canadian Studies Program’s Richard D. Challener ’44 Senior Thesis Prize was awarded to Patrick Watt for his thesis “Universal Basic Income in Canada: A Required Solution to a New Economic Paradigm.” Watt’s adviser was Marc Fleurbaey, the Robert E. Kuenne Professor in Economics and Humanistic Studies, Professor of Public Affairs and the University Center for Human Values; and the second reader was Eldar Shafir, the Class of 1987 Professor in Behavioral Science and Public Policy and professor of psychology and public affairs.

This award recognizes a student who writes the most outstanding senior thesis on a topic of substantial relevance to Canadian culture, themes, experience or issues.


The European Union Program Senior Thesis Prize went to Rozalie Czesana for “From the Room Where It Happens to the Street: Explaining the Gradual Publicization of Trade Policy-Making in Europe.” Czesana’s adviser was Sophie Meunier, senior research scholar and lecturer in public and international affairs, and the second reader was Eduardo Morales, assistant professor of economics and public affairs.

This award is given to the best thesis on the European Union.


The Princeton Prize in Race Relations Senior Thesis Prize went to Anthony Sgro for his thesis “Litness Test: An Argument for Hip-Hop Music in Public Education.” Sgro’s adviser was Anastasia Mann, lecturer in public and international affairs, and the second reader was Edward Freeland, lecturer in public and international affairs.

This prize is awarded by the Program in American Studies to the senior whose thesis adds significantly to our understanding of issues of race and race relations in the United States.


The Willard Thorp Thesis Prize went to Mark Goldstein, whose thesis title is “Climate Change in American National Parks: Impacts, Management, Communication, and Public Perception.” Goldstein’s adviser was Denise Mauzerall, professor of civil and environmental engineering and public and international affairs, and the second reader was Alan Blinder, the Gordon S. Rentschler Memorial Professor of Economics and Public Affairs.

This prize awarded by the Program in American Studies recognizes the senior in the program who prepares the most outstanding thesis of a clearly interdisciplinary nature.


Mark Goldstein and Sam Rob both received the Environmental Studies Book Prize in Environmental Social Sciences from the Princeton Environmental Institute. Goldstein’s thesis, “Climate Change in American National Parks: Impacts, Management, Communication and Public Perception,” was advised by Denise Mauzerall, professor of civil and environmental engineering and public and international affairs, with a second read by Alan Blinder, the Gordon S. Rentschler Memorial Professor of Economics and Public Affairs.

Rob’s thesis, “Reconciling Bioenergy and Food Production in Cuba: A Case for Integrating Competing Agricultural Models in the Caribbean’s Largest Island,” was advised by David Wilcove, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and public affairs and the Princeton Environmental Institute, with a second read by Gregor Jarosch, assistant professor of economics and public affairs.

The Environmental Studies Book Prize recognizes students in four categories for outstanding senior-thesis research and the ability to communicate the results and significance of their work.


The Near Eastern Studies Senior Thesis Award went to Dahlia Kaki, whose thesis title is “Cancer Control and Prevention in Tunisia: The Malignancies of Poor Governance.” Kaki’s adviser was Elizabeth Armstrong, and the second reader was Bryan Grenfell.

This prize is awarded by the Program in Near Eastern Studies.