Mary Madsen, MS public policy ’21, started her master's program before Covid and graduated with the pandemic in full swing. Originally from Texas, the culture shock of moving to Philadelphia with her husband and child was difficult to begin with, but especially challenging when she realized that she would be stuck in the city with no prospect of returning home due to travel restrictions. But Madsen made the most of her time here. As someone interested in education policy, it was a great opportunity for her to learn about how city councils and school districts work in times of crisis.

Kathleen Powell plans to use the $544,000 grant from the William T. Grant Foundation to explore how the legalization of recreational marijuana in New Jersey affects Black, Hispanic and White young adults.