Young Voices launches our Social Mobility Fellowship. We've selected eight writers from our network to participate in the fellowship, running from August 2023-February 2024.
Project Description
Economic struggle is often viewed as an abstract issue. DC policymakers legislate poverty in a vacuum almost entirely devoid of original and effective solutions. Now, communities across the country are paying the price.
Increasingly, poverty has become startlingly apparent on the main streets of America. The fentanyl crisis, surging homelessness, and a spike in crime have exacerbated the problem and laid it bare. Furthermore, the issues of the day such as inflation and economic stagnation are especially harmful to impoverished communities. In response to this situation, many are calling for a doubling down of failed big government policies.
Predictably, these solutions call for more taxation and spending — not economic growth and wealth creation. These tired ideas won’t alleviate poverty, instead they’ll just trap its victims in an endless cycle of government dependency.
Young Voices’ Social Mobility Fellowship will promote bold pro-liberty solutions with the goal of social mobility rather than dependency. Eight fellows will study the underlying causes of poverty, guided by top policy experts in the field, and will produce original reporting on pressing issues of our day.
We can’t wait to see what they accomplish during this fellowship!
Neetu Arnold is a Fellow at the National Association of Scholars. Her work has appeared in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and RealClearPolicy.
Benjamin Ayanian is a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota where he majored in philosophy and double minored in business law and political science. During his years as an undergrad, Benjamin founded and was president of the Constitution and Capitalism Club, encouraging civil discourse and promoting the principles of individual liberty. His writings have appeared in Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal, Yahoo News, and more.
Kate Farmer is an undergraduate student at Washington University in St. Louis, where she studies philosophy and data science. Previously, she served as a writer and policy researcher for the Virginia General Assembly and a Healthcare Policy Fellow for the Cicero Institute. She is currently an intern at the American Enterprise Institute under President Robert Doar. Kate’s writing centers around mental health, especially as it intersects with technology and Gen Z. Her works have appeared in various state and national publications, including RealClearScience, The Washington Examiner, and The Federalist.
Amanda Kieffer graduated from Liberty University in Dec. 2016 with a B.A. in Western Legal Traditions. She is the Communications Director for the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy, a free-market state think tank where she translates policy wonk into English for residents of the Mountain State. She is an alumna of the John Jay Institute’s fellowship program where fellows grapple with the great cultural and spiritual works of the past and present through Socratic dialogue.
Amanda was an external relations intern at the Heritage Foundation, a Generation Liberty Fellow with the State Policy Network, and a Koch Associate with the Charles Koch Institute. She is passionate about education choice, constitutional law, and America’s founding principles.
David B. McGarry has written in defense of individual liberty and institutional integrity on a wide range of topics, appearing in such publications as RealClearPolicy, Techdirt, Reason, and National Review. Previously, as a reporter for Broadband Breakfast, he broke news on tech and telecommunications policy at the Federal Communications Commission and on Capitol Hill.
Amanda Griffiths is a PhD student concentrating on political theory and international relations, with an emphasis on Machiavelli's political thought. She received her M.A. from the University of Chicago and previously worked as the editorial director at the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives. With a background in the entertainment industry, academia, and the think tank circuit, she enjoys diving into questions and perspectives across disciplines and ideologies. Amanda's reporting focuses on foreign policy; the future of liberalism; mass opinion; and the relationship between the individual, the market, and the state (with a special interest in decentralized finance).
Ethan Brown is a graduate of Boston University, where he studied Environmental Analysis & Policy and Film & Television. Ethan was never outdoorsy growing up, but after studying climate change, he felt compelled to use his comedy writing experience as Editor-in-Chief of his high school and college satire publications to make climate entertaining. During quarantine, Ethan launched The Sweaty Penguin. The podcast has now released 120 episodes, amassed 20,000+ downloads, showcased professors from eleven countries, partnered with PBS, and was a 2022 Webby Honoree. Through writing and podcasting, Ethan aims to make climate less overwhelming, less politicized, and more fun.
Sofia Hamilton is a Health Policy Studies Research Associate at a libertarian DC think tank where she focuses on issues related to drugs, poverty, and women's health. Sofia graduated from the University of Miami where she majored in Political Science and History and minored in International Studies and Sociology. While at the University of Miami, she worked with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors as a Policy Research Associate to advocate for essential benefits for military families and veterans. These experiences have instilled in her a passion to rework the American health care and welfare systems to provide needed programs while still ensuring the financial efficiency of the government.
