RAND School of Public Policy
Commencement 2025
The RAND School of Public Policy celebrated 66 graduates who completed the Frederick S. Pardee Ph.D. in Policy Analysis, M.Phil. in Policy Analysis, and Master of National Security Policy. We held two Commencement 2025 ceremonies, on Friday, June 20, in Santa Monica and on Tuesday, June 24, in Arlington.
Commencement Videos
- Digital Slideshow
- Dean’s Welcome, President’s Remarks, and Santa Monica Campus Keynote Address by Janet Napolitano
- Dean’s Welcome, President’s Remarks, and Washington Campus Keynote Address by William “Mac” Thornberry
- Speeches by 2025 Graduates Luke Schlake (MPhil), Agnes Xiangzhen Wang (PhD), and Rossana Piñeyro (MNSP)
Keynote Speakers
Janet Napolitano and William M. “Mac” Thornberry
Our Commencement speakers and Honorary Degree Recipients this year were Janet Napolitano and Mac Thornberry.
Janet Napolitano, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and former President of the University of California, is a trailblazer in public policy and higher education leadership. Her expertise aligns with our commitment to addressing complex policy challenges with rigorous research. She spoke at our Santa Monica campus ceremony.
William M. “Mac” Thornberry, who presented the keynote at our D.C. campus event, is a former U.S. Representative and chair of the House Armed Services Committee, as well as a champion of national security and defense innovation. His forward-thinking approach mirrors our dedication to advancing solutions for global security issues.
Meet Our Ph.D. Graduates
Cohort ’18 and Earlier
Therese Jones
Diogo Oscar Borges Prosdocimi
Agnes Xiangzhen Wang
Noah Johnson
Nabeel Qureshi
Cohort ’19
Lawrence Baker
Ingrid Estrada-Darley
Michelle Priest
Cohorts ’20, ’21, and ’22
Lucas Greer
Khrystyna Holynska
Zhan Okuda-Lim
Nathan Thompson
George Timmins
Brian Wong
Tim Wu
Meet Our M.Phil. Graduates
Cohort ’22 and Earlier
Cristian Cardenas
Felipe De Leon
Matthew Forbes
Avery Krovetz
Shona Olalere
Amanda Perez
Gopal Trital
Cohort ’23
Amal Altwaijri
Ryan J. Bain
Ethan Doshi
Joshua Fields
Cristina Glave Barrantes
Esteban Guerrero
AK Keskin
Michael Hsin Sheng Ma
Nikolay Maslov
Yoselin Mayoral
Baileigh McFall
Anujin Nergui
Syuzanna Petrosyan
Alejandro Roa Contreras
Srikant Kumar Sahoo
Luke Schlake
Ben Senator
Austin Smidt
Shannon Walsh
Nolan Yager
Sabahat Zafar
Virginia Zhang
Meet Our Master of National Security Policy Graduates
Cohort ’24
Samuel Abinsinguza
Sergio Araujo
John Blakeslee
Alexander Butler
Alejandra Cano-Hampton
Andre Chun
Nirja Kapoor
Rossana Pineyro
Stephanie Pronco
Vincent Scauzzo
Jared Stancombe
Margaret Stanton
Michael Starnes
Sushil Tyagi
Benjamin Woolsey
Master of National Security Policy graduates not pictured: Eric Czuleger, Kellen McClenahan Kahn, Bria Persaud, Harrison Tandy, Tate Tower