Capstones

The capstone projects in the YIP Fellowship represent the culmination of an intensive eight-week program, embodying the essence of inquiry-driven learning. These projects, crafted by fellows at the program's conclusion, are a testament to their intellectual growth and understanding of complex policy issues. Each capstone is a unique reflection of the skills and insights gained, demonstrating a synthesis of research, analysis, and innovative thinking. Serving as both a personal and academic milestone, these capstones highlight the fellows' readiness to engage with real-world challenges, marking a significant step in their journey as emerging policy leaders.

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Capstones may reflect individual viewpoints and do not represent YIP's nonpartisan stance.

All Fellowship Capstones

Unseen Paths: Addressing Career Exposure in NJ High Schools

Capstones Summer 2025

New Jersey has advanced workforce development, yet many high school students, especially in underserved communities, lack real world career exposure. Existing programs often start after graduation or require long commitments, leaving gaps in equitable access. This brief highlights barriers to short term, hands on experiences and proposes scalable solutions to better prepare students for future careers.

Transportation Access as a Barrier to Preventive Healthcare in Rural Communities

Capstones Summer 2025

Adithi Balaji

In rural America, limited access to reliable transportation acts as a silent but potent driver of poor health outcomes. This brief explores how transportation barriers prevent rural residents from accessing preventive medical care, resulting in higher incidences of chronic illnesses and escalating healthcare costs. Without coverage through programs like Medicaid or Medicare, individuals often delay care until conditions worsen, driving up economic burden for both households and healthcare systems. This inaccessibility contributes to lower workforce participation, especially in already struggling rural economies. The brief evaluates the systemic relationship between transportation, health equity, and economic productivity, and proposes policy solutions including mobile health units, expanded telehealth infrastructure, and transportation subsidies.

Institutional Inequality: The Effects of Redlining in Public Education

Capstones Summer 2025

Patrick Pickren

Redlining, the former discriminatory practice of denying home loans to residents based on geographic or racial factors, has significantly contributed to an inequitable system of public education in the United States. This brief explores the origins of the systemic disparity in public education, its impact on education today, and its implications for the future of America’s youth. Additionally, it explores potential solutions to rectify the current system of public schooling, focusing on student equity, educator recognition, and community development.

Fact or Fabrication: AI-Generated Evidence Within Courtrooms

Capstones Summer 2025

Nikki Wu

The risk of AI-generated evidence entering U.S. courtrooms is increasingly substantially, which could influence trials unfairly and undermine public trust in the justice system. This brief explores potential solutions of reducing and stopping AI-generated content from entering legal proceedings and current AI detection tools.

The Modern Day Pandora’s Box: Artificial Intelligence and Cognition

Capstones Summer 2025

Chenya Kwon

Artificial intelligence is an issue that has only grown in presence within the public conscience since the release of popular AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Deepseek. Not only have these applications become household names, they have also become common fixtures of learning in everyday life. This brief will analyze the benefits and costs of relying upon AI for knowledge upon users’ cognitive abilities and policy recommendations to optimize AI usage.

Community and Environmental Protection Against Nuclear Injustice Act

Capstones Summer 2025

Rehan Mahmood

The United States has a history of nuclear colonialism¹, where nuclear programs (including energy, weaponry, mining, etc.) have disproportionately harmed communities without the political capital to protect themselves and the environment. Thus, this brief will cover how current legislation proves ineffective to the ongoing harm of these programs and will offer solutions to prevent future suffering.

Ensuring Democracy: Promoting Civic Education in Schools

Capstones Summer 2025

Rishya Vemireddy

The future of democracy lies within the youth of America. This brief explores why civic engagement starts within schools, leads to the ballot box, and builds a generation of responsible and involved citizens.

America’s Financial Literacy Problem: Why it Needs to Be Taught Early and Everywhere

Capstones Summer 2025

Luke Meggers

Despite living in one of the world’s largest existing economies, millions of students all over America graduate from high school without understanding the basics of financial literacy. This unbelievable fact contributes to real consequences such as life long financial insecurity and long term debt. Although there exists some recognition of the importance of financial literacy, strong and consistent instruction is still not present in most middle schools and high schools. This brief discusses current gaps in financial literacy education, explains why early and comprehensive instruction is critical, and outlines crucial policy options to integrate financial literacy requirements and curriculum into schools across the United States.

America’s War on Healthcare: Juggling Corporate and Patient Interests

Capstones Summer 2025

Catherine Xue

The majority of Americans are unable to access and afford prescription drugs and live-saving medication due to high prices primarily driven by corporate greed and flaws within the patent system, worsening social and economic inequities in the healthcare sector.

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All Fellowship Capstones

Unseen Paths: Addressing Career Exposure in NJ High Schools

Transportation Access as a Barrier to Preventive Healthcare in Rural Communities

Institutional Inequality: The Effects of Redlining in Public Education

Fact or Fabrication: AI-Generated Evidence Within Courtrooms

The Modern Day Pandora’s Box: Artificial Intelligence and Cognition

Community and Environmental Protection Against Nuclear Injustice Act

Ensuring Democracy: Promoting Civic Education in Schools

America’s Financial Literacy Problem: Why it Needs to Be Taught Early and Everywhere

America’s War on Healthcare: Juggling Corporate and Patient Interests