The Watson Equity in Policy Scholars program is a scholarship and leadership development opportunity for academically-excellent students admitted into and entering the Master of Public Affairs at the Watson School for International and Public Affairs.
Participants receive generous financial support including a full-tuition scholarship and funding to help support living costs, and will participate in leadership development, mentorship, and enriching community building experiences to complement their experience as students in the MPA program.
We are looking for leaders from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and ideas to enact inclusive and impactful solutions. Through our Equity in Policy Scholars program, we will equip these leaders with further leadership tools, community, and experiences needed to launch their impact in policy, and to address the challenges of disparity and inequity in policy and public affairs.
What might that look like? There are many and varied societal and policy issues of inequity and disparity that you may be working towards addressing through your professional, research, academic, or extra-curricular experiences. Examples can include (and are not limited to):
- addressing access to health services and provider shortages in rural or underserved areas
- closing the digital divide by expanding broadband access in rural or underserved communities
- addressing housing affordability and insecurity challenges
- tackling issues of food insecurity and food deserts
- working to close the educational opportunity gap
If you’ve previously worked to address issues like the ones mentioned above, or are inspired to continue to address them through impactful policy solutions, we invite you to apply to the MPA and Watson Equity in Policy Scholars program. Read more about the program below and contact the MPA with any questions.
