The Graduate Fellows Program at the Eagleton Institute of Politics has been a cornerstone of the Institute’s commitment to advancing the understanding and practice of politics and public service since the Institute’s founding in 1956. Throughout the fellowship, students connect their academic studies with the practice of politics through seminars, engagement with political practitioners and hands-on experiences in government and public affairs.
The 2027 cohort includes master’s, doctoral and advanced medical degree students from Rutgers Camden, Newark, New Brunswick, and Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School representing a variety of academic fields including accounting taxation, city and regional planning, criminal justice, economics, health behavior society and policy, law, medicine, political science, public administration, public health, public policy, social work, and toxicology.
For more information on the program and its offerings, please visit eagleton.rutgers.edu/grad-fellowships.
This year, eight Bloustein graduate students were selected for the 2027 fellowship. They are:
Akua Asante is a Master of Public Policy student. Originally from Ghana, she resides in Newark, New Jersey. She earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and behavior from Rutgers University–Newark. Throughout her academic and professional career, Akua has held research and policy positions at Mathematica Policy Research, the American Institutes for Research, the Rutgers Law School Center for Law, Inequality and Metropolitan Equity (CLiME), and the New York City Department of Social Services Office of Research and Policy Innovation. She was also selected as a Global Health Corps U.S. Fellow (2024–2025) and is a Leadership Newark Public Policy Fellow, Class of 2027. Through these experiences, she has developed expertise in research, policy analysis, and program evaluation. Her policy interests include healthcare, education, and social policy. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in public service, helping develop evidence-based policies that strengthen communities. Akua is honored to receive the Henry J. Raimondo Legislative Award through the Eagleton Graduate Fellowship Program and will complete her spring internship with the New Jersey Office of Legislative Services. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, attending soccer matches, cheering for Ghana and Manchester United, and spending time with her dog, Coco.
Jessica Beskind is a second-year master’s student in city and regional planning. Born and raised in California, she earned her bachelor’s degree in conservation biology from the University of California-Davis. Jessica has nearly four years of experience working as an environmental scientist on federal remediation projects across the country. At Rutgers, she focuses on environmental planning, and her work with the Rutgers Center for Urban Policy Research examines the energy, water, waste, and land use impacts of hyperscale data centers on local communities. She also studies policy instruments to incentivize clean energy adoption in New Jersey. Jessica is honored to be a recipient of the Governor’s Executive Award. After graduate school, she hopes to employ science and transdisciplinary thinking to advocate for healthy ecosystems and the communities they sustain. Outside her academic interests, Jessica enjoys traveling and recharges by exploring nature with her dogs.
Stephanie Fantazzi is a graduate student pursuing a dual Master of Public Policy and Master of City and Regional Planning degree. She is centered on community-led urban redevelopment, alternative land-holding frameworks, and community land sovereignty designed to mitigate neighborhood displacement. While at Rutgers, she has served as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Rutgers Center for Urban Policy Research (CUPR) and as the President of the Bloustein Social Justice Committee. She was also inducted into the Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society this past year. During the summer of 2025, she completed an internship with the Kensington Corridor Trust in Philadelphia, where she contributed research and policy memos supporting community asset stabilization. As a lifelong resident of Morris County New Jersey, she graduated from the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and political science. Stephanie is honored to be an Eagleton Graduate Fellow and a recipient of the Harold and Reba Martin Award. Her career plans involve designing and implementing progressive urban policy, focusing on structural land-use reforms that empower local communities and protect marginalized neighborhoods at the state or local levels. Outside of her professional and academic pursuits, Stephanie is a new mom who enjoys crafting and spending time with her husband, son, and two cats, Harry and Holly
Herrin Oum Fontenette, proudly hailing from Jersey City, New Jersey, is a second year Master of Public Policy candidate, with concentrations in economics and social justice. She attended Rutgers University New Brunswick, where she graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in history with a Black studies concentration, a minor in public policy, a Law and History certification and the distinction of being inducted into the Cap and Skull Senior Honor Society. She is also a spoken word artist who has used her art to amplify the struggles, histories, and resilience of Black Americans and the African diaspora. Her work has spotlighted the repression of marginalized communities while inspiring collective action and self-determination. Her poetry explores Black femininity, African diasporic culture, and themes of unity, resistance, and rebirth. She has performed at venues across the state, including the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center and the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Herrin interned in the Office of New Jersey’s 10th District Congresswoman LaMonica McIver, gaining hands-on experience in constituent services, federal agency casework, legislative correspondence, and community outreach. Most recently, she served as a Policy Intern with the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights in Newark, New Jersey, where she conducted policy research, reviewed legislative hearings, tracked pending legislation, analyzed policy trends and assisted with public-facing resources to support informed policymaking and community education. A product of her environment, the core values of service, cultural preservation, creativity, equity, and community permeate the work she has done and hopes to continue as an aspiring policy analyst. Herrin hopes to serve those communities most vulnerable to systemic disenfranchisement, particularly Black American Freedmen, with the intention of keeping residents informed, civically engaged, and, most importantly, galvanized in the fight for reparative social and economic justice. Herrin is honored to have received the Harold and Reba Martin Award and is excited to continue serving the state of New Jersey.
Gabriel Garcia, a proud Hudson County Latino, is a second-year master’s student in city and regional planning. He graduated from Rutgers-New Brunswick with a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics. During his undergraduate studies, Gabriel interned for various organizations, including New Jersey’s Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, Rutgers New Student Orientation, and the Office of Congressman Rob Menendez as part of the Eagleton Undergraduate Associates program and the Rutgers-Eagleton Washington Internship Award. After graduation, he gained both private and public sector experience through working at a New York City public affairs firm, volunteering throughout the 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial primary, and working in the state legislature within the Assembly Majority Office. His exposure to housing, transportation, and environmental policy at the state level, along with his interests in data analysis, mapping, and urban design, showed him just how critical urban planning is for turning policy into reliable and sustainable infrastructure that shapes our daily lives. Gabriel spent the past summer interning at NJTOD, the Transit Friendly Planning Newsletter within the Rutgers Voorhees Transportation Center. He is honored to receive the Eagleton Alumni Award and hopes his future work will involve bringing to life climate-resilient infrastructure that helps communities move and live more affordably and equitably. In his free time, Gabriel enjoys going to the gym, running, playing chess with his father, and playing video games with friends.
Pratham Kumar, from Monroe Township, New Jersey, is a second-year Master of Public Policy student. His policy interests include poverty, economic inequality, social policy, and access to public benefits and services. Pratham interned with the Poverty Research Institute at Legal Services of New Jersey as a Poverty Research Intern, where he helped research and draft a report examining the state of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in New Jersey and how recent federal legal and policy changes may affect the program and the residents who rely on it. He has also researched immigration, caste, inequality, and migration within the Indian diaspora. His broader professional experience includes financial literacy education, civic engagement, political campaign outreach, stakeholder coordination, K–12 educational support, and community service. Pratham earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology and criminal justice, with a minor in psychology, from Rider University, graduating magna cum laude. While at Rider, he served as president of the Law and Justice Society, secretary of the Sociology Club, and a member of the Mock Trial Team. He was also named to the Dean’s List and inducted into the Alpha Phi Sigma Criminal Justice Honor Society. At Rutgers, Pratham has received the Harold H. and Reba Martin Endowed Fellowship in Public Policy and the Public Policy Dean’s Tuition Scholarship. He hopes to pursue a career in government and public service, developing policies that reduce economic inequality and expand opportunities for underserved communities. Outside of his academic and professional interests, Pratham enjoys fitness, technology, community service, and spending time with family and friends. He is excited to receive the Governor’s Executive Award as a Eagleton Graduate Fellow and looks forward to interning in the executive branch of New Jersey state government in spring 2027.
Jack Martucci is from Oceanport, New Jersey, and is pursuing a Master of Public Policy with a concentration in social justice and reform. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Rutgers University in 2025. Jack currently serves as an Assistant Residence Life Coordinator at Rutgers University, where he supports student leadership, community engagement, and residential initiatives across campus. Prior to this role, he served as a Peer Mentor and Academic Coach with Rutgers Global, helping first-year international students transition to college life. Through his work in Residence Life, Jack has been recognized as a two-time recipient of the Leroy Haines Award for his leadership and commitment to fostering inclusive residential communities. Jack has gained experience in government and public service through internships with Congressman Frank Pallone Jr.’s district office and Rutgers Scarlet Service in Washington, D.C., where he spent the summer supporting Rutgers’ federal relations efforts and coordinating programming for Rutgers students interning in the nation’s capital. He is also involved with Eagleton’s Center on the American Governor. His interests include public policy, government, and law, with a particular focus on advancing opportunities through public service. Jack is honored to receive the Governor’s Executive Award through the Eagleton Graduate Fellowship Program. After completing his master’s degree, he plans to attend law school and pursue a career at the intersection of law, public policy, and government.
Peter Zirnis IV is a second-year Master of City and Regional Planning student. His academic interests focus on transportation planning, sustainable infrastructure, and environmental policy, with a particular interest in developing transportation systems that promote accessibility, resilience, and long-term environmental stewardship. Through his coursework and professional experience, Peter has explored the intersection of land use, mobility, and sustainability, examining how thoughtful planning can improve quality of life while addressing environmental challenges. He also completed an internship with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, where he supported the Historic Property Reinvestment Program and gained firsthand experience with state economic development and preservation initiatives. As an Eagleton Fellow, he looks forward to gaining a deeper understanding of state government, public policy, and the legislative process while building the knowledge and relationships needed to pursue a career in public service. He hopes to pursue a career in the public sector as a city planner, where he can help shape transportation and land use policies that create more sustainable, connected, and livable communities.