Meet the inaugural technology and public policy scholars

Learn about the first class of tech and public policy scholars

Santiago Vidal Calvo (MPP’25)

Santiago Vidal Calvo (MPP’25) is an international student from Caracas, Venezuela, who will join the McCourt School’s public policy program in the fall of 2023 after completing his undergraduate degree at Fordham University. While in the TPP Scholars Program, Santiago hopes to explore the use of technology and public policy, particularly freedom of speech.

After completing his graduate studies at the McCourt School, Santiago aspires to found an NGO that brings financial and technological resources to low-income neighborhoods in Venezuela, increasing quality of life and improving technology policy and community outcomes.

Maitri Natarajan (MPP/MBA’24)

Maitrey Natarajan (MPP/MBA’24) is a dual degree Public Policy/Master of Business Administration student at Georgetown University. She began her career working for a technology start-up company in India and came to Georgetown to expand her knowledge of economics and accounting.

Through the TPP Scholars Program, Maitreyi hopes to learn more about the various aspects of artificial intelligence in healthcare and explore how this technology interacts with gender, race and culture. In the future, she wants to continue working with information and new technologies to improve technology policy and health care outcomes in developing countries.

Kevinna Rawls (MPP’24)

Kevyanna Rawls (MPP’24) is a first-year student in the McCourt School’s Master of Public Policy program with an interest in social policy. Before joining McCourt, Keviana worked with local government at a non-profit organization that supports immigrant rights. As a graduate of the University of Memphis, I am committed to improving the lives and experiences of communities of color from Little Rock, Arkansas, Kevyana, especially in the South.

Through the TPP Scholars Program, Keviana hopes to explore racial intersections and technological advances in policing. In McCourt’s Race and American Criminal Law Policy course, which he taught. Associate Teaching Professor of Practice Jasmine TylerKeviana is interested in how prophetic policing can disenfranchise black communities and policing neighborhoods that need more resources.

Talia Stringfellow (MPP’25)

Talia Stringfellow (MPP’25) will join the McCourt School’s Public Policy Program in the fall of 2023. Talia previously worked at Tulchin Research, a national political polling and strategic consulting firm in San Francisco, CA. She has experience working on political campaigns in Oregon, including serving as the campaign manager for Adrian Brown’s successful judicial campaign.

While at the McCourt School, Talia plans to explore the relationship between technology, privacy, and democracy, with special interests in misinformation and social media. Since the 2016 elections, Thalia has been interested in the technology sector’s role in democracy and its impact on strengthening or weakening human rights globally.

After completing her degree, Talia plans to pursue a career in public service or developing digital-privacy policy at a think tank. She hopes to use her bi-cultural lifestyle as a French American to complement her studies and work on domestic and international regulatory policy.

Sanha Tahir (MS-DSPP’24)

Originally from Lahore, Pakistan, Sanha Tahir (MS-DSPP’24) is a first-year student in the McCourt School of Science’s Data Science for Public Policy program with a vision for using data analytics techniques to improve public education delivery. .

During her last year at McCourt, Sanha focused her research on public education and social media misinformation. While the two subjects may seem disparate, Sanha believes they have the potential to transcend their boundaries to explain real-world events and behaviors.

Currently, Sanha is working together. Assistant Professor Nalette Broadnax Using Advanced Text Analysis Techniques to Investigate Carceral Ideology in Public School Handbooks. As a TPP scholar, Sanha hopes to apply these skills to understanding the pattern, development, and scope of social media misinformation and sentiment.