Published 02/07/2025 - Spring 2025 Graduate Student Ambassadors

Joshua "J.B." Branch MC/MPA 2025

Originally from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, a small Appalachian town, J.B. received a Bachelor in Political Science from Pennsylvania State University and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown Law. Prior to coming to HKS, he worked as a criminal justice reformer helping governors, district attorneys, and other elected officials reform their justice systems. He is interested in pivoting into race equity within technology, specifically in artificial intelligence and algorithmic equity.

Sadie Harlan MPA/MBA (Stanford) 2025

A proud Kentuckian, Sadie is a concurrent MPA and Stanford MBA student passionate about expanding access to high quality education. Before graduate school, she worked for Reach Higher—an initiative of First Lady Michelle Obama and subsidiary of Common App—where she focused on reducing college application barriers for underrepresented students. After Sadie (sadly) graduates in May, she hopes to help build a higher education sector that works for students.

Carol Jin MPA/ID 2025

Born and raised in China, Carol completed her undergraduate degree in business management economics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Before attending HKS, she worked at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, focusing on economic and policy analysis, and later led high-level projects in science, technology, education, and sustainability in China, bridging international and local initiatives. In the future, she aims to drive social impact through public-private partnerships.

Candace Mergerssa MPP 2026

An Ethiopian-American born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Candace considers herself a forever Georgia Peach. She is passionate about embedding community-based research and interventions in the public policy world as an effective and empowering strategy to reduce social inequities. Candace graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in policy analysis and management and minors in business and inequality studies.

Javad Mushtaq MC/MPA 2025

From Norway with Pakistani roots, Javad is currently enrolled in the MC/MPA Program at HKS to take the next steps in his global career spanning five continents. He has experience in the private sector, early-stage investing, social enterprises, and NGOs. At HKS, he is deepening his expertise at the intersection of policy, technology, and impact to help scale up impact solutions that can create systemic change. His goal is to bridge investments, policy, technology, and social innovation to drive transformative impact worldwide. Javad previously earned an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and an MSc (Honors) from BI Norwegian Business School.

Yong Zhin Ng MPP 2025

Originally from Singapore, Yong Zhin worked in the Singapore government before coming to HKS. He will return to his home country post-graduation to work in land policy. He is primarily trained in sociology and is excited to integrate that knowledge into the civil service long term.