Writing Portfolio

Aerospace Corporation

A Space Policy Primer: Key Concepts, Issues, and Actors: An introduction to key policymaking entities and critical issues and concepts in the field of space policy.

Harvard Political Review

Space Policy

Ad Astra Per Aspera: Defending the cause of commercial manned spaceflight, and putting the brave sacrifice of the pilots involved in the October 2014 SpaceShipTwo crash in perspective.

Marketing the Moon: Surveying the impact that private exploration, spurred by the Google Lunar X-Prize, will have on lunar policy.

Crimean Crisis Reaches New Heights: An analysis of the impact of the emerging Crimean conflict on US-Russian space cooperation.

Beyond the Heavenly Palace: An overview of China’s recent efforts in space  and how they play into a broader geo-political dynamic, as well as a critique of the American reaction to the Chinese program.

Gravity‘s Attraction: Understanding the success of the hit film Gravity and what it says about the potential for exciting the public about space exploration.

 

US Politics

Mass Governor Interview Series: Charlie Baker: An interview with former healthcare executive and presumptive GOP nominee for MA governor (and eventual election winner) Charlie Baker about business, education, spending, and Harvard.

An Oversight Failure: Interpreting the Healthcare.gov debacle’s implications for the Obama Administrations managerial capacity.

No Partisanship, Just Action: Reflections on a summer spent working at No Labels.

Christine Todd Whitman: Former New Jersey Governor: An interview with former Governor (R-NJ) and EPA Administrator Whitman about partisanship, environmental policy, and the future of the GOP.

The People Deserve to Know: Examining the threat to our democracy posed by PRISM and the importance of transparency in making trade-offs between privacy and security.

Understandable Paranoia and the NRA: Part of a broader “HPRgument” about gun control, an examination of the role of skittish constituents in killing the Manchin-Toomey bill.

A Way Forward: Analyzing the rationale behind Republican support of and opposition to immigration reform, and the prospects for a deal this term.

Republican Response to SOTU Night: A personal response to the 2013 State of the Union and subsequent Republican response.

Shooting themselves in the Foot: The symbolic value of the Second Amendment and the NRA’s failure to be a responsible player in gun safety debates.

The Case for 51: An examination of the 2012 Puerto Rico Status Referendum and a case for endorsing its pro-statehood results.

Remember the Name: Why we must learn from the Aurora theater shootings, understand their perpetrator, and reform mental healthcare to prevent future tragedies.

The State of Religious Freedom: Threats to religious freedom from both sides of the aisle.

The Making of the President, 1789-2012: Evaluating potential reforms to the way America elects Presidents.

Keystone Confusion: Commenting on the environmental counter-productivity of anti-Keystone Pipeline activism.

Rick Perry’s Rise and Fall: The undoing of a would-be challenger for the Republican presidential nomination.

Pushing the Primary in the Sunshine State: A Floridian’s perspective on the state’s jockeying for prime primary position.

 

World Politics

Cuban Freedom and the Marketplace of Ideas: Thoughts on recent changes in US Cuba policy and the value of economic contact in influencing change in Cuba.

Vietnam: the Hidden Asian Tiger: Examining the recent economic success of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

 

Campus Issues

Investing in the Future: Defending a $140 million gift towards Harvard’s financial aid program as part of a broader “HPRgument” on the issue.

It’s Not Just Harvard: Putting Harvard’s issues with student mental health in a broader perspective and emphasizing the importance of building supportive communities.

 

Satire

Obamacare 2148: An analysis of ongoing delays to the Affordable Care Act in the distant future year of 2148.