Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy welcomed the fall 2024 cohort of six McCourt Scholars, a select group of promising future policymakers whose background, experience and academic achievements qualify them for the award.

Since its founding in 2014, the McCourt Scholars program has given 43 students studying for a master’s in public policy (MPP) free tuition, a stipend, health insurance and various opportunities to engage in meaningful dialogue with policymakers. Each year, up to six incoming students are selected as McCourt Scholars based on the strength of their application; this year, Marzia Azizi (GRD ’26), Sarah Calame (GRD ’26), Gabriella Cova (GRD ’26), Scott Oakley (GRD ’26), Josahn Ochieng’ Oginga (GRD ’26) and Johnny Willing (GRD ’26) will join the program. 

Calame, who is interested in using tax policy to address economic inequality, said the Scholars program appealed to her due to the internship opportunities available in Washington, D.C. and opportunity to learn from both esteemed professors and fellow scholars.

“I was really excited to apply to an MPP at McCourt in particular because I felt like I would get this really incredible mix of scholarship, being back in academia and also staying connected to the policy world here in D.C.,” Calame told The Hoya. “I have professors who are working in think tanks or experts in the media, so getting to learn from both scholars and practitioners is a really valuable aspect of the program at McCourt, and one that made me really excited to come and study here.”

Willing, who previously worked at Mathematica, a research and data analytics consultancy, said his former coworkers spoke highly of their experience at the McCourt School, which played a key role in his decision to attend.

“Pretty much every school that I applied to, I had someone that I worked with at my job who had gone to that school for their MPP,” Willing told The Hoya. “So I talked around and just listened to people’s experiences, and people from McCourt seemed to have very good experiences. They seemed to like their professors a lot, and they seemed to like their experiences a lot.”

Cova, who aims to use her international experience to promote equitable policy solutions, said the wide range of opportunities available, including the proximity to organizations she hopes to collaborate with, made her want to become a McCourt Scholar.

“One of the things that was really attractive was being able to be so close to a lot of the organizations and companies that I would want to work for in the future,” Cova told The Hoya. “For example, the development banks here in D.C., other think tanks, or even private sector companies that are doing social impact work — being able to go to school here, where all of these organizations are, gives you a lot more exposure.”

Cova was also particularly impressed by the significant number of professors actively engaged in the development field.

“Right now, I’m taking one of my electives on Latin American economic policy, and the professor is somebody who was a very well-respected practitioner in the development field,” Cova said. “It’s really cool to be able to get those opportunities, because in the end, you are in a city where a lot of these people work and live.”

Azizi, an Afghan national, highlighted that the program uniquely offers events where students can network with leaders specializing in fields such as development policy.

“The McCourt Scholars Program also offers a unique opportunity to network with leaders in development policy by attending policy forums, conferences and events hosted by international institutions in D.C.,” Azizi wrote to The Hoya. “I look forward to expanding my understanding of immigration policy frameworks through these networking opportunities and gaining insights into how such policies are formulated and implemented globally.”

Calame also expressed her excitement for the opportunity to enroll and take tax policy courses uniquely offered at the McCourt School, as well as the opportunity to undertake a semester-long internship through the program.

“I am excited about the opportunities in the classroom to build my foundation and research, both in tax policy and beyond,” Calame said. 

Azizi highlighted the program’s international summer placement, which will enable her to work in a developing country and gain firsthand experience in development policy across diverse contexts.

“I am excited to leverage the summer placement opportunity provided by the program,” Azizi said. “Working in a developing country will allow me to compare my firsthand experiences with those in other contexts, further enhancing my understanding of the complexities of development across different nations and enabling me to contribute to the creation of informative policy interventions and programs.”