The Rose Institute congratulates these outstanding seniors for completing their academic work at CMC. As they bid goodbye to undergraduate research, we welcome them into the Rose Institute Alumni Society. Here are portions of their farewell messages, what they have accomplished at the Institute, and their short-term plans.
Katherine Paige Adelman
“Working alongside such a talented and insanely knowledgeable group of people has been such a joy these last four years. I am so grateful to the Rose for giving me some of my best friends in college, in addition to much-needed professional growth. I am sad that, come the fall, my workplace will no longer be Kravis 4th floor, but I know I will be a better employee because of the skills and values I developed at this institution. Rose is family!”
Katherine is from San Antonio, Texas. While at the Rose, Katherine worked on the following projects: IEO (Fall 2021 – CA Recall History; Fall 2020 – Population and Reapportionment); Federalism; Miller-Rose Initiative Database; IE at a Glance; Video Voter 2020 (Property Tax); Sinclair: Recall poll, and was on the Communications team.
Katherine graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. She is headed to Cleveland to work with a real estate developer.
Maya Ghosh
“Thank you to the Rose Institute for enriching our college experiences and equipping us with critical thinking abilities and hard skills we can employ to enact change in the working world. I relish all of the amazing friendships I have developed at the Rose since my first year. While I am sad to leave, I am so glad that I had the opportunity to join an intellectual and social community as vibrant as the Rose. To our class, thanks for making the Rose a second family!”
Maya hails from Dallas, Texas. While at the Rose, she was the lead for the Cicero homelessness project; assisted in the research for Professor Miller’s book, “Texas vs California: A History of Their Struggle for the Future of America,” and worked on two propositions for the Video Voter project in 202 (Prop 20 on Criminal Justice and Prop 25 on the Elimination of Cash Bail).
Maya graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, dual major, in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (honors); and Economics (honors). She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Maya is headed to the Bay Area to work with a tech company.
Maria Gutierrez-Vera
“My past four years at Rose have been an incredible gift, and no doubt, the most important part of my college education. Since I first got hired in September of 2018, I have been part of a community that supported me in my goals of becoming a researcher, a policy expert, and now, an aspiring policy historian. I am lucky to be leaving this place having helped the Inland Empire community in some small way through my research, written policy briefs for public use, and even having been part of our Video Voter series, which I’d dreamed of joining since my first week as a new hire. The friendships and the memories on the 4th floor of Kravis are so special to me, and as I wrap up my last few weeks, they are what I will remember years from now.”
Maria is from Whittier, California. While working as a research assistant at the Rose, Maria headed the Redistricting project; wrote an article, “Counting the Homeless” for the Fall 2020 Census issue of the Inland Empire Outlook, which was picked up by the LA Times; researched and presented on Prop 21 (Rent Control) for the 2020 Video Voter project; and was on the Communications team.
Maria graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree (double major) in Public Policy and American Studies. She earned a fellowship with the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Program and is heading to USC to pursue her Ph.D.
Nandini Jayaram
“When I came to CMC, I wanted to find a way to integrate my passion for politics into my college experience outside of the classroom. The Rose provided me with the perfect outlet to research topics of interest that could be related to my academic studies in economics and data science while furthering my knowledge of California state and local government. During the pandemic, I really enjoyed working with our New Hire Manager at the time to launch a new role of Trainings Manager, where I had the chance to connect with the new hires who were virtually onboarded and provide them with a structured training curriculum throughout the year. Looking back at my four years at the Rose, I’m so grateful for this opportunity to explore many policy areas, including sanctuary state laws and fiscal analysis, sharpen my analysis and communication skills, and build close relationships with students and faculty.”
Nandini hails from Bettendorf, Iowa. While at the Rose, she worked on the comparative study on the city of Paramount and was on the Fiscal Analysis team. She also wrote two articles for the Inland Empire Outlook: one in the Fall of 2019 about SB54; another in the Fall of 2021 about the Census. From 2020 to 2021, she served as the Training Manager, which included coordinating the New Hire Training manager.
Nandini earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics (with a Data Science sequence). She is headed to the Bay Area to work with a tech company.
Gait William Nairn
“The Rose Institute was a cornerstone of my CMC experience. Upon joining as a freshman, I was immediately immersed into a family of friends that I cherish to this day. Even as a graduating senior, I still enjoy the comfort that comes with going up the workroom and working alongside others late into the night on whatever project or essay was due the next day. Although the pandemic prevented us from seeing each other in person, I always felt the love and strength of the Rose family throughout my time at CMC. I will miss everyone at the Rose, and am confident the direction that the Institute is heading will lead to even bigger and better things.”
Gait came from Turlock, California. While at the Rose, Gait managed the Miller-Rose Initiative Database, worked on the team that looked at Paramount city and its comparison to nearby cities and helped in the research for Professor Busch’s book on California primaries.
Gait graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics, with honors (with a Data Science sequence). He was inducted into the Omicron Delta Epsilon (Economics). Gait is traveling to Europe for the summer but will be working in downtown Los Angeles upon his return.
Robin M. Peterson
“My time at the Rose is filled with some of my fondest memories, from attending BOG dinners to late-night grind sessions on the 4th floor. I will always cherish the friendships I made and the mentorship I gained. I remember asking Lindsay Burton ’19 and Bryn Miller ’19 a million questions about their experience at CMC so that I could make the most out of mine. I will always remember the bike races and the race to turn in projects two weeks past when we said they were due, but most importantly the people who helped me when I needed it most.”
Robin, a sophomore hire, hails from Winter Park, Colorado. She contributed to the federalism study on the Covid-19 stimulus, participated in Professor Sinclair’s poll on the recall, was the lead on the Local Business Guide, has researched and presented on the Video Voter 2020 project (Prop 18 on Voting Right for 17-year- olds) and wrote an article for the Fall 2021 edition of the Inland Empire Outlook on the CA Governor’s Recall Results.
Robin’s senior thesis won “Best Thesis” in Gender Studies. Having completed the requirements for ROTC while at CMC, she is heading to Arizona as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army.
Nohl Montgomery Patterson
“The Rose Institute has afforded me the chance to meet policymakers, visit graduate schools, and do substantive, actionable policy work as an undergraduate student. Yet, the community this place provides is and will forever be its most remarkable quality. My term as student manager has fostered a deep pride in the Rose Institute’s people, mission, and development as an organization. It has provided an analytical backbone for my research interests and a community of lifelong peers to share my love of politics and policy. The people at this place have been the most formative for my time at CMC and for that, I will always be thankful.”
Nohl, from Orinda, California, served with distinction as the Institute’s student manager for 2021-2022. As a sophomore hire, he looked at the Private Attorney General’s Act for his new-hire project. He followed that up by developing the prototype “Inland Empire at a Glance” project. Nohl is credited as co-author with Professor Andrew Sinclair of “From the President to the Local DMV: Who’s to Blame?,”and “Agency Oversight in an Age of Polarization,” which were presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association
(virtual), September 11, 2020; and, most recently, on a paper for the Midwest Political Science associate Meeting in April 2022.
Nohl graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, dual major, in Government and Economics (Data Science sequence). He was selected as one of two recipients of this year’s George S. Blair Award for State and Local Government. Nohl will be working for a venture capital firm in San Francisco.
Henry Alden Schulz
“The Rose was one of the most enriching experiences I’ve had at CMC. Intellectually, the Rose exercised my brain for three years thinking about the most complex public policy issues. My new hire project exposed me to affordable housing and homelessness policy, which sparked my interest in it for the rest of my time at the Institute. I also developed invaluable faculty relationships through Rose, including with Professor Michael Fortner who held me to a high standard, instilling the importance of analytical precision with language and logic. I have also met some of the smartest and kind people. I’m profoundly grateful that I was able to surround myself with students who are both hilarious and deeply nerdy about state and local politics. Thank you to Adhi and Nohl for their impressive leadership during my senior year.”
Henry, who comes from the Big Apple, was a sophomore hire who took on the topic of homelessness for his new-hire project. He then researched issues relating to Covid as an article for the federalism project. He participated in Professor Sinclair’s poll on NY and CA recall. As a senior, he did the research for Professor Michael Fortner on further studies on NY and CA and the New Deal coalition.
Henry graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Government. He received an Academic Department Award as “Outstanding Major” by the Government Department. He will be going to Washington to work on the Hill.
Jensen Oliver Berg Steady
“My time at the Rose Institute of State and Local Government has been the greatest part of my experience at CMC. As a research assistant, I loved working on policy research focused on my home state of California, using the fourth-floor workroom as my home base away from the dorms, and most importantly for the social community I found at the Rose. From research to late nights studying and talking with friends, the intellectual environment was something I have yet to find elsewhere on campus. I was also honored to work as the New Hire Manager this past year, helping shepherd the newest (and largest!) class of freshman and sophomore hires to the Institute.”
Jensen comes from Santa Barbara, California. While at the Rose, he worked on a paper on homelessness in LA and the Bay area, served as manager for the Miller-Rose Initiative Database, managed the CA Local Business Guide project, and served as the New Hire Manager for 2021-2022.
Jensen graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He is waiting on a confirmation of an internship with the Capital Fellows program.
Adhitya Venkatraman
“As I conclude my final year, I am certain that joining the Rose Institute was the best decision of my undergraduate career. The Rose gave me my first taste of research and nurtured the toolkit necessary to tackle meaningful, relevant questions. Joining Student Management was the capstone to my growth and development at the Rose. No experience has been more rewarding than bringing the Rose back to campus after a year locked out and restoring a community that has given me so much. I am grateful to have spent my senior year back on campus with peers and mentors I cherish. I am a better person because of countless hours well-spent on late-night debates, whiteboard antics, and laughter.”
Aditya who comes from San Jose, California, worked on the several projects until he served as Associate Student Manager in 2021-2022: Design Team (Manager); IEO (Spring 2019 – Housing Market); Redistricting; True Time Served study with Professor Bessette; California Almanac; the Cicero homelessness project; redistricting research; Video Voter 2020 (Prop 14 on Stem Cell research and Prop 16 on Affirmative Action); and contributed to Professor Sinclair’s Recall poll.
Adhitya graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, dual major, in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and Economics (Data Science sequence). He has been inducted into the Omicron Delta Epsilon Honor Society (Economics). His senior thesis was awarded “Best Thesis” from the Robert Day School of Economics & Finance. Adhitya was also recognized as one of two recipients of the George S. Blair Award for State and Local Government. He will be heading to San Francisco, where he will be working in tech and doing research.
A special shout-out to Anna Elise Green ’21, who graduated in December of 2021, cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Government (with a Gender and Sexuality Studies sequence). She was awarded the Roland Prize for Best Thesis in Public Administration.
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