THE 2019 WLP SCHOLARS
Abeeha Shamshad
National Governors Association
Abeeha Shamshad is a senior at The Ohio State University, where she studies Public Management, Leadership, and Policy with minors in Human Rights and Chinese History. On campus, she is a Morrill Scholar and sister of Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. Additionally, Abeeha has the honor of planning and facilitating accessible service opportunities for her fellow Buckeyes. Her professional passions include critical infrastructure, public-private partnerships, arctic policy, and sports.
Aparna Iyer
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-7)
Aparna Iyer is a rising sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley studying Political Science and Human Rights. After moving to the states from India in 2014, she grew involved in campaign work for her local congressman and in volunteer opportunities with human rights charities in the Bay Area. On campus, she is involved with the pre-law community, an Indian fusion dance team, and a nonpartisan discourse-based organization called the Berkeley Forum. She is interested in education policy and international law and aims to find a career in that intersection.
Madhumitha Krishnan
Department of Commerce
Madhumitha Krishnan is a rising junior at the University of California, Berkeley. She plans on double majoring in political science and history, with a focus on Eastern Europe and the history of law. Madhumitha is passionate about working to strengthen democracy at home and abroad through working on voter rights and voter mobilization, immigration law reform, and strengthening accountability in democratic institutions. In the future, she hopes attend graduate school and work with human rights organizations to help build sound judicial institutions in developing countries.
Natasha Menon
Department of Homeland Security
Natasha Menon is a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with a minor in Legal Studies and History. She is interested in addressing policy issues at the intersection of immigration and education. Natasha hopes to pursue this goal as an aspiring lawyer and public servant.
Rupa Palanki
Department of Health and Human Services
Rupa Palanki is a rising junior at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is a Ben Franklin Scholar and Wharton Public Policy Scholar studying Economics and Health Policy. She is passionate about promoting accessibility to healthcare for marginalized populations and is interested in working at the intersection of fiscal policy, medicine, and law.
Aziz Sandhu
Department of Health and Human Services
Aziz Sandhu is a recent graduate from the University of Connecticut where she majored in Global Health. She is passionate about strengthening health systems and public service, while focusing on vulnerable populations. She hopes to work at the intersection between equitable governance, public health, and policymaking to enhance coordination and delivery of care in humanitarian settings and complex emergencies. Aziz plans to pursue a career in public service as a global health advocate and leader and will be pursuing a Master's in Science in Public Health at Johns Hopkins in the fall.
Fatima Shahbaz
Congressman Ami Bera (CA-7)
Fatima Shahbaz is a rising junior at Harvard College studying Government and South Asian Studies. She was born in Karachi, Pakistan, but grew up in McLean, Virginia, a few minutes away from our nation's capital, inspiring a passion for public service and foreign affairs. On campus, she works as a Diversity Peer Educator, served as the academic-political chair of the Harvard South Asian Association, teaches a weekly civics class to fifth graders in Boston, as is on Secretariat for Harvard Model United Nations 2020.