CLASS OF 2020 UNDERGRADUATE ASSOCIATES EAGLETON INSTITUTE OF POLITICS Rutgers University – New Brunswick Wood Lawn, Douglass Campus New Brunswick, NJ eagleton.rutgers.edu EAGLETON UNDERGRADUATE ASSOCIATES PROGRAM The Eagleton Undergraduate Associates Program was established in 1974. During the one and one‐half year certificate program, Associates learn about real‐world politics and government from experienced practitioners. Rutgers students, from all schools and campus locations, are welcome to apply in the fall of their junior year and the selected students begin the following spring. The program is a cooperative educational endeavor between the Eagleton Institute of Politics and the Department of Political Science in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers—New Brunswick. The Undergraduate Associates’ journey at Eagleton begins with the "Practice of Politics" course, where the students examine politics as a choice. Each week, they analyze different political decisions such as the Constitutional Convention, jury verdicts, voting outcomes, budgets, public education systems, legislative actions, campaign strategies, presidential programs, and American policy. Over the summer or fall, Associates complete internships in a variety of offices focused on American politics, government and public policy. Placement locations range from congressional offices and federal agencies in Washington D.C. to state, county and local government positions in New Jersey and New York, along with some of the top political consulting and government affairs firms in the state, among others. The accompanying "Internship Seminar" course in the fall examines the art of leadership in the context of a variety of careers in government and politics. The final course, "Processes of Politics," is taken during the spring semester of senior year and is designed to help students deepen and apply their understanding of politics and governance by focusing on the mechanics of select processes and issues. The examples chosen will provide windows into how systems work more generally and how change occurs or doesn’t. Underlying these conversations will be reflections on the national political conversation focused increasingly on the 2020 elections as well as politics in New Jersey. The Class of 2020 represents the 46th class of Eagleton Undergraduate Associates. There are currently nearly 1,000 alumni of the program. Some have chosen careers in politics and public affairs, while others have applied their advanced knowledge of government and politics to a broad range of careers in the private and non‐profit sectors. More information about the Eagleton Undergraduate Associates program can be found at go.rutgers.edu/EagletonUA Page | 1 CLASS OF 2020 EAGLETON UNDERGRADUATE ASSOCIATES Ashley Abrams Major/Minor: Political Science/English (New Brunswick) Internship: Department of Children and Families (Trenton, NJ) Ashley Abrams is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) Honors Program at Rutgers—New Brunswick pursuing a major in political science and a minor in English. She is from Hamilton, New Jersey and has held internships at Governor Murphy’s office, Rutgers—New Brunswick Division of Student Affairs, and Dialogues@RU, Rutgers’ undergraduate student research journal. She is a two‐time recipient of the SAS Excellence Award and an inductee of Pi Sigma Alpha. On campus, Abrams is a resident assistant, and devoted her first three years of college to the Rutgers University Programming Association, where she allocated a budget of $815,000 for student events. Her senior honors thesis in political science examines expressions of religiosity and trends of secular communication in U.S. presidential candidates. Abrams also serves as a Aresty Research Assistant for Elizabeth Matto’s Young Elected Leaders Project at Eagleton. She hopes to pursue a career in public interest law at a government entity and advocate for women’s issues and social welfare policy. Nashia Basit Majors: Political Science, Communication (New Brunswick) Internship: Department of Children and Families/Adolescent Services (Trenton, NJ) Nashia Basit is in her final year at the School of Arts and Sciences and Douglass Residential College. She is majoring in political science and communication, specializing in leadership in organizations and communities. As a proud Scarlet Knight, she has been involved with several organizations on campus and serves on the executive boards of RU Progressive, United Muslim Relief, Douglass Organization for Commuter Students, and Global Village. She interned at Eagleotn’s Center for American Women and Politics where she worked on the NEW Leadership ® program to help prepare college women to become politically engaged in their communities. She was involved in several progressive campaigns in New Brunswick that sought to impact grassroots activism in the city. Currently, Basit is working on a grant‐funded social action project that focuses on tackling the opioid crisis through creating drug education and empowerment workshops for students across Central Jersey. She is a leadership scholar at the Institute for Women’s Leadership and a member of Pi Sigma Alpha and Lambda Pi Eta Honor Societies. In the future, she is interested in pursuing a law degree as well as a master’s degree in public administration, ultimately to work in legislative affairs. She is passionate about politics and women’s rights, and hopes to one day manage her own nonprofit organization. Navruz Baum Major/Minors: Mechanical Engineering/Political Science, Economics (New Brunswick) Internship: New Jersey Citizen Action (Newark, NJ) Navruz Baum, hailing from Hopewell, New Jersey, is a student of both the Rutgers—New Brunswick Honors College and the School of Engineering. He is pursuing a major in mechanical engineering and two minors: political science and economics. Since high school, Baum has been passionate about improving his community through student government, serving as president of the Engineering Governing Council and as a member of the Rutgers University Student Assembly. He has also worked to increase voter access and student participation as executive director of Rutgers Democrats and a member of the Rutgers Civic Engagement Coalition. After graduation, he hopes to contribute to his local community through civic involvement, while pursuing a career in engineering. Page | 2 Lance Bean Majors: Political Science, Public Policy (New Brunswick) Internship: The Hohlt Group (Washington, DC) Lance Everett Bean, a native of North Brunswick Township, is pursuing a dual bachelor’s degree in political science and public policy through the School of Arts and Sciences and the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Bean is focusing on American politics as well as social and criminal policy. Bean enjoys research and discussion on a number of political topics, most notably the founding of the United States government, Constitutional law, political theory, and the ethics of service in government. Outside of the classroom, he is the former scholarship chair and the current vice president of the Rutgers University Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity and is a passionate participant in Rutgers’ Catholic Student Association. Bean has also recently received a number of noteworthy honors, including admission into Pi Sigma Alpha (the National Political Science Honor Society), Gamma Sigma Alpha (National Academic Greek Honor Society), and Phi Alpha Delta’s Society of Scholars. He is also the most recent recipient of the Class of 1922 Old Guard ‐ Rutgers College Scholarship. He spent last summer in Washington, D.C. participating in the Leadership and the American Presidency Program through the Fund for American Studies in conjunction with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. Bean ultimately hopes to pursue a meaningful career in both law and government at the Attorney General’s office or possibly running for public office himself. He began a master’s degree program in criminal justice through in Rutgers in the fall of 2019 and plans to attend an honorable law program in the fall of 2020. Jonathan Bent Majors/Minors: Political Science, History/Economics, Creative Writing (New Brunswick) Internship: The Roosevelt Group (Washington, DC) 2019 Rutgers‐Eagleton Washington Internship Award Program Jonathan Bent grew up in the small Central New Jersey town of Montgomery. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at the School of Arts and Science, double majoring in political science and history with minors in creative writing and economics. Over the summer Bent interned for The Roosevelt Group’s defense lobbying team in Washington D.C. as a recipient of the Rutgers‐Eagleton Washington Internship Award. He also recently joined Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Honor Society for Political Science. In high school he founded the Political Theory and Government Structure Club, where he served as president for two years. Bent is personally interested in art — its impact on political movements, how it can inspire entire nations and how it encapsulates emotion throughout history. After graduation he plans to continue his studies at law school and pursue a career in law. He eventually would like to start his own company that highlights the importance of art in the 21st century and provides a space for complex high attention span content on the internet. Samantha Chen Major/Minors: Biological Sciences/Women's and Gender Studies, Political Science (New Brunswick) Internship: National Organization