Carolina Scholar Josh Evans (BARSC, public policy ‘27) is one of 18 students nationwide selected for the PPIA Junior Summer Institute at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. The South Carolina Honors College student from Greenville, South Carolina, will receive full funding for a seven-week policy intensive.
What it is
The PPIA JSI identifies promising juniors from across the country to participate in an immersive program designed to prepare them for careers in public service. Evans will take courses in economics, public policy analysis and statistics. He will also receive leadership training from the nation’s top-ranked social policy program.
Why it matters
Through the PPIA JSI, Evans will continue to hone his policy analysis skills and refine his leadership abilities, preparing him for a master’s in public policy and an impactful public service career. Evans has pursued numerous leadership, service and research opportunities at the University of South Carolina to deepen his understanding of education policy. He interned for Senator Gary Peters in Washington, D.C., at the S.C. Appleseed Legal Justice Center and at Kosovo’s first postwar think tank at the Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development. Evans currently researches in professor Joseph Quinn’s Dynamic Environments and Change Lab and is a substitute teacher in the Midlands. These experiences have inspired Evans to dedicate his career to finding policy-based solutions to societal challenges.
What he’s saying: “I would love to establish a think tank in Columbia, South Carolina, that conducts research on the multifaceted sources of poverty across the Southeast.”
National Fellowships provides support for PPIA JSI applicants. Students interested in learning more should contact USC’s National Fellowships team.