Students Honored at School of Public Policy Celebration

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Three students were honored for their accomplishments inside and outside of the classroom at a virtual celebration for the School of Public Policy’s class of 2021 on Wednesday, May 12.

Adrienne Núñez and Timothy Scalona received Philip Hertz Scholarship Awards, which recognize academic achievement, commitment to public service and potential to make outstanding contributions in public policy and management.

The scholarship was established in 2004 by alumnus George Hertz, ’69, MPA ’73, an emeritus member of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Advisory Board, in honor of his father, Philip Hertz, a lifelong public servant.

Núñez, who received her master’s of public policy and administration, is vice chairperson of the Greenfield Democratic Town Committee and former chairperson of the Greenfield School Committee. A graduate of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts’s Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact, she has worked as an intern in the office of State Rep. Paul Mark and at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, the latter during her time as a 2020 Civic Action Project fellow. Núñez is interested infiscal and environmental policy, with an emphasis on rural western Massachusetts communities, and in progressive policy reform to achieve racial, economic and environmental justice.

Scalona, who received his master’s of public policy, serves as the Amherst campus student representative to the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees and is a policy intern with the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless. He also earned his bachelor’s degree from UMass and was named a 21^st Century Leader at his 2020 undergraduate commencement. Scalona has been a Student Government Association senator, serving on the Social Justice and Empowerment Committee; an organizer on the Center for Education Policy and Advocacy’s Debt-free Future campaign; and a founder and president of UMass FLIP, an organization for first-generation and low-income students. He plans to attend law school and to continue to work on issues including access to higher education, food security and housing accessibility.

Ayla Thorntona received the M.V. Lee Badgett Award for Social Justice, which recognizes a student whose work focuses on social justice and who demonstrates potential for future contributions to social equality. The award was established in 2016 in honor of the School of Public Policy and economics department faculty member.

Thorntona received her master’s of public policy through SPP’s 4+1 program, beginning her graduate studies while completing her undergraduate degree in political science and Spanish. In 2020, she was selected a Civic Action Project fellow and interned in the office of Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell, working on criminal justice policy in the city. Thorntona’s interests include making structural change in the US criminal justice system and centering policy conversations around equity. She hopes to use her experiences and education to work at the intersection of technology and social justice. 

“The School of Public Policy prepares students to become leaders in public service and make positive social change, and Adrienne, Tim and Ayla are perfect examples of that mission in action,” said Satu Zoller, associate director for academic programs. “It’s exciting to see all they’ve already accomplished, and it will be even more exciting to see the things they’ll go on to do in the future.”

More than 120 people, including family, fellow students, faculty and staff, gathered via Zoom for the celebration of the 52 students — the School of Public Policy’s largest-ever class — who received their master’s of public policy or master’s of public policy and administration degrees.