Hunter Seniors Emily Apple and Andrew Marcus Win NYC Urban Fellowships

Emily Apple '14 and Andrew Marcus '14, who graduate this spring from the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter, have been accepted into the highly competitive NYC Urban Fellows Program. During the nine-month fellowship, which begins next September, they will work in city government, complete an intensive seminar series exploring urban issues, and travel to Albany and Washington, D.C. to meet with public officials. High-achieving students from all parts of the country apply for the program, whose stated goal is to "introduce America's finest college students and graduates to local government and public service."

Apple, Marcus, and the other 2014-2015 fellows will each receive a $30,000 stipend and health insurance as they work with decision-makers and learn about the intricacies of government structure and finance at the city, state and federal levels.

Apple, a Brooklyn native, is a political science major with minors in human rights and public policy. She plans to pursue a career in government or the nonprofit sector. Her policy interests, she says, range from "the hyper local to the international," and she acknowledges feeling "incredibly fortunate" to have studied at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute during her four years at Hunter.

Marcus, also from Brooklyn, double-majored in math and physics but found his true passion while taking government andpolicy courses - from the special Macaulay seminars about metropolitan New York to the  graduate course "Governing the City" with Professor Joseph Viteritti.

Both Apple and Marcus have completed important internships during their years at Hunter - she at the Brennan Center for Justice, and he at the Mayor's Office and the NYC Economic Development Corporation.

Each morning, Marcus says, one of his first priorities is to read about the latest developments in local government. He feels a direct connection to news about urban policies like transportation or zoning, he explains, because "every day, I see how those policies affect people on the street."