My first big project as a FOIA officer was three concurrent records requests that overlapped with one another. Once compiled, it spanned 1,100 pages and seven years of records. It was a massive project, but very gratifying and the moment that I knew this job was a great place for me.

Tell us about your personal and professional journey.

After graduating magna cum laude from the University of Illinois Springfield with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and induction into Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society, I continued my work as a traveling

Tell us about your personal and professional journey.

Martin works as a Regulatory Consultant helping Pharmaceutical Companie navigate the global Health Authorities in getting their Clinical Trials moving and their products approved.

Hometown: Clarendon Hills, IL

Current Location: Washington DC

Hometown: St. Louis, MO

Current Location: Chatham, IL

Mackenzi Matthews graduated with her BA in political science and public policy in 2021. Since then, she obtained an MA in political science and government from American University. She spent 3 years at the National Governors Association as a policy coordinator and legislative associate.

Amanda Temir-Young

MA: Political Science, 2024

BA: Political Science, 2022

Jacob Friedman is a 2023 graduate of the Master of Arts in Political Science program at the University of Illinois Springfield.

Miguel M. Valente

Amy teaches 10th and 11th grade history at Cornell High School and a dual- enrollment Government and Politics course for seniors in partnership with Robert Morris University. She was one of 18 educators awarded the 2024-25 Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching to the United Kingdom.

Conor was inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha. Conor works part-time for the Collins Law Firm as a video editor. He is also a fellow with the Progressive Turnout Project as a canvasser for the Sean Casten campaign. He hopes to work in the state legislature. He is the owner of the newsletter and podcast, The Progressive American.

Isaac got IRB approval to survey seniors at the high school where he teaches about their views on the death penalty. He also content analyzed DNC and RNC platforms throughout all of U.S. history and analyzed GSS data pertaining to the death penalty.