News and Stories

Lia Clark is a second-year MUP student focusing on the intersections of housing policy, public health, and environmental justice. Her commitment to the built environment began in her hometown in Vermont, where she served as a Student Planning Commissioner and later as an Assistant Planner for the Town of Rockingham.

Janani Venkataramanan is a second-year MPA student specializing in Public Policy Analysis, where she bridges the gap between food policy, animal welfare, and climate action. A trained chef and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Janani spent years in New York City’s high-volume kitchens before pivoting to policy.

Finlay Scanlon is a second-year MPA-PNP student and Bloomberg Fellow, specializing in Public Policy Analysis. With a background in urban infrastructure and climate policy, Finlay’s work sits at the intersection of housing, transportation, and environmental justice.

NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service is launching Impact Leaders, a new scholarship designed to invest in students who will take on complex, consequential challenges across government, nonprofit organizations, health systems, and urban infrastructure. Scholarship recipients receive tuition support and join the Wagner student community as part of a shared academic and professional environment, working with faculty, peers, and practitioners to develop, test, and apply ideas in real-world settings across New York City and beyond.

David Salinas (MPA-PNP 2026) was selected to present at the Latinx Project Graduate Student Working Group’s second annual Graduate Student Research Symposium.

Sara Lam is a reproductive justice organizer, community builder, and graduate student in NYU Wagner’s MPA-PNP program. Currently serving as President of the NYU Reproductive Health Action Network (NYU Repro), Sara leads the group’s mission to champion intersectional reproductive health access through advocacy, organizing, and education. 

Lea Lepik is an advocate for gender equality and a graduate student in NYU’s dual MPA/MA program, specializing in International Development Policy and International Affairs. Having lived and worked in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia, she brings a unique lens to her work at the intersection of foreign policy and sustainable development.

Lourdes Zapata serves as the MTA Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer (CDIO), after leading the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, locally known as SoBro.