Two SPAA MPA Students Accepted into the Class of 2025 Eagleton Graduate Fellows
Two SPAA MPA students, Kat Hurtado and Gretel Rodriguez Ramos, have been accepted into the 68th cohort of the Eagleton Graduate Fellows, becoming members of the program's Class of 2025. Students accepted into the highly selective, one-year, interdisciplinary certificate program develop an advanced knowledge of government, American politics, policy, and advocacy, and build professional skills and networks. Fellows benefit from financial support to complete the program through four key awards.
As part of the program structure, Hurtado and Ramos will complete an internship in the Spring semester, possibly in Washington, D.C. or Trenton. They are grateful for the help they received from Professors Norma Riccucci and Lindsey McDougle during the application process.
Kat Hurtado lives in Essex County and is a dedicated public servant pursuing an MPA at Rutgers SPAA. They earned their BA in public and nonprofit administration from SPAA, focusing on budget, financing, and philanthropy. Kat was a McNair Scholar and was honored with the Richard Roper Scholarship for Public Service. Leveraging their knowledge of New Jersey charitable giving and the local media landscape, Kat is a fundraiser at NJPBS/NJ Spotlight News. Kat's experience spans community organizing, particularly around affordable housing and urban beautification in Phillipsburg, NJ. During their undergraduate studies, they worked on the fundraising team at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties. Additionally, Kat serves on the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) – NJ Chapter board as the Emerging Professionals Chair on the Membership Committee and is a recent fellow of the New Leaders Council (NLC) – New Jersey Chapter. Kat is a recipient of the Governor's Executive Award. Kat plans to transition into grant-making within the policy advocacy space upon graduation, aiming to drive meaningful change and address systemic inequities.
Gretel Rodriguez Ramos is a social justice advocate, community organizer, and political campaigner. As a DACA recipient originally from La Ceiba, Honduras, Gretel immigrated to the U.S at the age of four and grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey. She is a second-year master's student in public administration and social entrepreneurship at Rutgers SPAA. Prior to pursuing her MPA, Gretel received her bachelor's degree in political science and legal studies at Rutgers-Newark College of Arts and Sciences where she graduated magna cum laude. She is currently a graduate coordinator at the Office of Community Standards and Student Development at Rutgers-Newark, where she helps oversee university policy. Gretel is also an active member of Make the Road NJ and Rutgers Immigrant Student Empowerment (RISE), both of which helped shape her grassroots community organizing. In addition to working on campaigns such as NJ Governor Murphy’s re-election campaign, Gretel has also had the privilege of providing testimony for state laws such as S2459 which provides translation of state documents and other language access services for the limited-English proficient population. During the summer of 2024, she was a research intern at the New Jersey State Policy Lab where she conducted a literature review on transnational migration and economic development. She is honored to receive the Harold and Reba Martin Award and aspires to continue working to advance the progress of marginalized communities at the state and federal level.