New Hires Fall 2024 | The Rose Institute of State and Local Government

The Rose Institute proudly presents the new additions to our roster of research assistants. This year, we hired seven first-year students and four sophomores, including one from Scripps and one from Pitzer. The group will be managed by this year’s new hire manager, Joseph Zhong’25.

Deborah N. Aguirre ’28

Deborah is from Upland, CA, pursuing a dual major in public policy and data science. She is passionate about policy research and hopes to pursue a career in the field. She first became interested in policy when doing an environmental economics research project at Scripps and exploring welfare policy in high school. She is most interested in welfare and economic policy, seeking to discover how different policies affect underrepresented groups. Outside of the Rose, she enjoys listening to The Strokes, reading, watching movies, and biking.

Kevin M. Bender ’27

Andrew J. Cheung ’28

Andy is from Summit, New Jersey, and is planning to major in Government and Economics at CMC. He first became interested in politics through high school debate, and eventually interned for his local Democratic party and various Congressional campaigns. Through campaign work, he gained experience in issues ranging from affordable housing to education reform. At the Rose, Andrew is excited to research through a non-partisan lens; specifically, he is interested in the economic effects of policy and is eager to improve his quantitative analysis skills. Outside of the Rose, he is a consultant for Path and plays lacrosse on the Claremont Men’s Lacrosse Team. He also enjoys playing pool at the Hub and watching the Knicks, Rangers, Yankees, and Giants.

Olivia R. Frakt SC’27

Arushi Goyal ’28

Keith Maben ’28

Keith is from Santa Clara, CA and is planning on majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He became interested in government through extensive election involvement beginning in the 2020 Presidential election, including as the Bay Area Regional Director of the CA High School Democrats and a Delegate at the Santa Clara County Democratic Party. He has conducted policy research with the Bipartisan Policy Center and worked with nonpartisan groups like FairVote and the Public Mapping Projects on issues of redistricting and ranked-choice voting. He’s very interested in political statistics, polling, and modeling, and hopes to work extensively on the Rose survey projects. Outside the rose campus, Keith is a Research Fellow at the Mgrublian Center for Human Rights studying immigration, an Associate Consultant at the Graphite Group, and a member of the CMC Model UN team.

Jathan K.J. Pai ’28

Jathan, from Indiana, is planning to study Economics and Engineering. His interest in state and local politics developed after serving on his local mayor’s youth council, participating in his high school’s political discussion club and writing a paper on wealth inequality. He is excited to learn more about and do research on local economic development, elections, transportation/zoning policy, and relationships between municipalities. In his free time, he enjoys trying new foods, playing ping pong, and soccer, and coding.

Anuj T. Patel ’27

Anuj is from Chino Hills, California. At CMC, he is pursuing a double major in Biology & Public Policy. His interest in state and local government stemmed from his previous work in California legislation regarding topics of elections, health, and education. At the Rose, Anuj is excited to develop quantitative skills in policy evaluation to aid in the research of housing and healthcare policy. He has completed research on policies affecting oral health in indigenous communities of North America and is currently interning in the office of Congresswoman Judy Chu. In his free time, Anuj enjoys running, listening to music, and playing NYT games.

Thomas Rose ’27

Thomas is from Brooklyn, New York, majoring in Government and Music at Claremont McKenna College. His interest in state and local government emerged through working with the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), the oversight agency of the New York City Police Department. At the Rose, Thomas is excited to expand his knowledge in research methods and data analysis and to learn more about criminal justice reforms, housing policies, and poverty alleviation programs. Outside of the Rose Institute, Thomas is a campus tour guide, and Romero Success Coach, he works for SOURCE Nonprofit Consulting as a Client Team Lead, and he also sings in the Joint Music Program’s Concert Choir. He enjoys listening to, and playing music (singing and guitar), watching baseball (go Yankees!), and exploring new neighborhoods.

Rhiannon J. Worline ’28

Rhiannon is from Elko, Nevada, and is majoring in Government at Claremont Mckenna College. Rhiannon’s interest in government stems from several courses she took on government and politics as well as her intern experience with Ray Shaw’s Montana State Senate Campaign. Her other work experience includes a position as a research assistant with an Organizational Psychology company, EnlienWork. At the Rose, Rhiannon is interested in polling research and housing policy. She enjoys surfing, skateboarding, playing soccer, and attending concerts.