Rafael Escalante is a Political Science and Public Policy major dedicated to advancing immigrant rights and promoting their integration through impactful public policy. A Venezuelan refugee, he fled political persecution in 2019 and has since built a career in public service and political organizing. He has interned in the United States Senate and the Civil Rights Division of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. He also worked on Senator Andy Kim’s historic campaign and at Make the Road New Jersey, a leading civil rights organization. As President of Rutgers University Democrats, he expanded membership and strengthened the organization’s role in state politics. A Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Fellow and Lloyd C. Gardner Fellow, he has researched populism’s impact on democracy and attended the Junior Summer Institute at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. He has been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Sigma Alpha in recognition of his academic achievements. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career as a civil rights advocate and organizer.