Growing up in rural Mississippi, Lily Langstaff MPP 2027 never imagined she would one day pursue a master's degree in public policy.
She was studying conservation biology as an undergraduate at Mississippi State University, when a formative summer internship in Washington, D.C. opened her eyes to the world of environmental policy. Lily’s interest in policy and public service deepened when she joined the inaugural cohort of the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute at HKS (JSI@HKS), a rigorous seven-week summer program that prepares undergraduates for graduate programs in public policy and international affairs.
As the first JSI@HKS Summer Scholar to enroll at HKS, Lily just wrapped up her first year of the Master in Public Policy (MPP) Program. We asked her to reflect on her journey to HKS and experience so far. Here’s what she shared.
“It’s important to me to be vocal that I am from Mississippi and to represent my home in a positive light. I feel it’s my duty to proudly represent both HKS and Mississippi and to show that both parts of my identity can coexist.”
How did you become interested in environmental policy?
There’s a program at Mississippi State University called the Demmer Scholars Program that allows students to do a natural resources-focused summer internship in Washington, D.C. I ended up working with the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on the Oceans, Fisheries, and Climate Change Subcommittee. I enjoyed the environment of working on the Hill and found the work fulfilling. I loved talking to constituents and seeing how legislation could impact people’s lives for the better, and that opened the door for me wanting to work in environmental policy.
When did you first learn about PPIA’s Junior Summer Institute?
I was part of the Presidential Scholarship Program at Mississippi State University. During spring break each year, we would visit different kinds of graduate schools. During my sophomore year, we visited HKS. I had never been to Boston and didn’t really know that master’s programs focused on policy existed. During the visit, I connected with Feifei Zeng MPP 2023, an HKS and Mississippi State alum, and she told me about the PPIA Program and encouraged me to apply. I’m grateful for this connection and being in the right place at the right time.
What was your JSI@HKS experience like?
I’m not joking when I say PPIA changed my life.
It was so intimidating and scary and surreal at first. I was just a girl from rural Mississippi, surrounded by students from different universities doing amazing work. But I told myself: “You can be scared, but you have to do it anyway. You’ll come out on the other side of it, and you won’t even remember how scared you were.” And that proved to be true.
I learned so much from my professors, mentors, and fellow JSI@HKS Summer Scholars. It solidified my desire to pursue an MPP and a career in public policy.
I still talk to many friends from the program today. A PPIA friend got admitted to HKS recently and is coming in the fall. He came to HKS for New Admit Day and stayed with me—it was so fun to see him and look back on our JSI experience and how it shaped us.
It was truly transformational for me.
Was there a moment or interaction during JSI that solidified your interest in policy and in HKS?
I came into JSI@HKS with an environmental policy background. I only knew policy in the context of specific natural resource nongovernmental organizations, committees, and legislation. It was eye-opening to be thrown into a group of people who each had their own specific policy interests, like immigration and housing.
I loved hearing them talk about the internships and research they had done—and they also cared about my interests. I remember talking to an HKS student about a specific policy challenge in Mississippi, and he listened and asked more questions than anybody had before.
What is a policy issue in Mississippi you’re passionate about?
There’s an area in the Mississippi Delta, where the Mississippi River connects with the Yazoo River, that lacks the proper infrastructure to drain water off the land when it floods. It is a low-income, disproportionately Black, primarily agricultural area. There was a severe flood in 2019 that wiped out much of the state’s cotton crops and inundated people’s homes for months.
People often hear about climate issues like wildfires in the West, but we also experience severe natural disasters in places like Mississippi. Being able to come to HKS, talk about issues like these, and see people’s ears perk up—seeing them recognize this as a serious policy challenge affecting an underserved community—was the most special part of my PPIA experience.
How did your PPIA experience prepare you for the MPP Program at HKS?
PPIA is structured a lot like the first semester of the MPP core curriculum, which has been helpful. The most impactful thing in terms of preparing me for HKS was learning public policy frameworks and how to present and implement solutions.
Why did you attend HKS immediately after undergrad?
I wanted to become the best public servant I could possibly be. I was coming from a conservation background with an increasing focus on conservation policy, but my PPIA experience opened my eyes to a wider world of public policy. I wanted to spend more time in an academic setting with other public policy experts, learning policy tools and frameworks, before entering the workforce.
How has the first year of the MPP Program been?
It’s been both fun and challenging. The MPP core curriculum is intense—I’m very bad at econ! Whether it’s a statistics or econ or policy course, you’re learning real-world applications. That’s been my favorite part. I wasn’t expecting to have an “aha moment” in every class, but so far I have.
I took ethics with Professor Chris Robichaud this past semester, which I think has been my favorite course so far. He uses the case method to talk about different ethical and moral questions—everything feels tangible and relevant to public service.
What has surprised you most about HKS?
I rarely meet two people from the same place. Even if someone is from New York, for example, they’re from a different part of New York than anyone else, and they have different backgrounds and experiences. That has been the most valuable part of my experience so far.
When people meet me and learn I’m from Mississippi, most of the time they say, “I’ve never met someone from Mississippi before.” It’s important to me to be vocal that I am from Mississippi and to represent my home in a positive light. I feel it’s my duty to proudly represent both HKS and Mississippi and to show that both parts of my identity can coexist in a meaningful way.
How are you spending your summer?
I’ll be doing a government relations internship with The Nature Conservancy’s Southeastern chapter in Washington, D.C.
I interned for The Nature Conservancy a few summers ago, but it didn’t have a policy or government relations focus. I’m excited to return and work with some of the same people but focus more directly on the government and policy side of things. I’m also excited to go to the congressional baseball game this summer!
Longer term, my dream role would be to work on community resilience in the face of natural disasters, potentially with an agency like the Federal Emergency Management Agency. I want to help figure out how government can assist people impacted by natural disasters in the most effective, yet community-oriented way.
JSI@HKS Summer Scholars group photo by Bethany Versoy. Personal photo courtesy of Lily Langstaff.
