This August, the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) announced that Heller PhD students Milagros Ramirez and Manning Zhang have been selected as recipients of the 2024 Equity & Inclusion Fellowship. These fellowships are awarded to exceptional scholars and young professionals from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, and supports their participation at the 2024 APPAM Fall Research Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
The 46th annual meeting of the APPAM this November will highlight multidisciplinary research on a variety of current and emerging policy and management issues. While at the conference, fellows will have the opportunity to connect with members of the APPAM Policy Council and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and attend events focused on the conference’s theme, “Policymaking at the Federal, State, and Local Levels.”
“Milagros and Manning are both focused on addressing issues that reflect Heller’s mission and commitment to social justice,” says Jasmine Waddell, PhD, Assistant Dean of Heller’s Career Development Center. “These fellowships are well-deserved, and we congratulate them on this outstanding recognition.”
Milagros Ramirez, a candidate in the Heller PhD program, is an emerging social policy scholar who is passionate about anti-poverty initiatives, economic mobility, and child and family policies. Her focus on poverty relief and social mobility is fueled by her experiences as a first-generation American whose family utilized public assistance programs. Milagros’ firsthand understanding of the challenges and stigma associated with participating in America’s social safety net has led her to a career dedicated to public policy and social welfare. Her policy interests include applying a racial equity lens to examine and advance anti-poverty solutions; strengthening youth workforce programs to better support vulnerable young people; and broad child and family policy issues. Milagros has worked on these areas in key sectors such as early childhood, community development, and child welfare. This experience has allowed her to use the tools of research and data to inform policies and programs that aim to combat poverty and its effects.
Manning Zhang is a fifth-year doctoral student in the PhD in Social Policy and Sociology program, Heller’s joint degree with the Sociology Department. Her dissertation research focuses on justice in physical activities and seeks to bridge the urban community health equity gap through fitness initiatives. With broad interests in the intersection of the sociology of culture and health policy, Manning has co-authored works on the support towards first responders during COVID-19; health resources for people with eating disorders; and neighborhood violence. Her ongoing projects include women’s narratives about STEM career choice, and the mechanisms between neighborhood resources and mortality with the Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy at Heller. As a first-generation non-native English speaker, Manning also proudly works as a senior consultant at Brandeis University Writing Center, providing writing support for students and faculty members in the community.