Hattie Martinek is the fifth UTC student in recent years to land the PPIA JSI fellowship. Photo by Angela Foster.
Hattie Martinek, a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior majoring in political science and public service and a member of the Innovations in Honors program in the Honors College, has been selected for the highly competitive Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute (JSI) at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
The PPIA JSI program is designed to prepare undergraduates for graduate study and careers in public service. Participation requires a commitment to pursuing a master’s degree in public policy or international affairs at a PPIA consortium graduate school.
Martinek is one of 18 students nationwide selected for the University of Michigan cohort. The seven-week program runs June 7 through July 25 and includes graduate-level coursework in economics, statistics, policy analysis and writing. Fellows receive travel, room and board, course materials and a stipend.
“I was really shocked because it’s very prestigious,” said Martinek of the correspondence announcing the news. “I put in a lot of hard work and very intentionally completed my application. To receive the email, I was very taken aback—but it was a good shock.”
Martinek, who is on schedule to graduate from UTC in December, is the fifth UTC student in recent years to land the PPIA JSI fellowship, joining Lola Oke (2022 Princeton University cohort), Jannat Saeed (2023 Princeton), Emma Sprayberry (2023 Carnegie Mellon University) and AJ Galluzzi (2025 Michigan).
“Hattie is, to put it succinctly, going places—and she represents the impact that UTC continues to have on students, graduates and future pillars of our community,” said Dr. Trey Straussberger, director of UTC’s Office of National Scholarships. “Since Hattie first walked into the Honors College, I recognized someone who wanted to make her mark on the world. As part of the Innovations in Honors program, she has developed a year-long project with the goal of addressing a public need in Chattanooga. Outside the classroom, Hattie has taken on leadership positions in a variety of organizations both at UTC and in the larger community.
“Hattie’s dedication to the civic good will only grow through the Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute, which is a nationally competitive program that seeks to develop the next generation of leaders who will lead the charge to make Chattanooga, the United States and the world a better place to live.”
Martinek said previous experiences have shaped her interest in public policy. Last summer, she interned with the Chattanooga Autism Center, earning course credit while working in a nonprofit setting.
“I’ve always known I wanted to do something to help other people; that’s always kind of been my impetus,” she said. “I needed a career with intention.”
She said spending the upcoming summer at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy provides an opportunity—and academic rigor—she couldn’t have imagined before.
“I’m really excited about the presidential library because I get access to all the course materials for each course,” she said.
Martinek explained that she is now considering doctoral programs in public policy, a different path from the one she previously pursued.
“I entered college (at the University of New Hampshire) as a neuroscience major, so I’ve done a pretty thick switch,” she said. “I’m really excited to learn and be able to apply it and have a career where I can contribute to the greater good.”
Martinek transferred to UTC to be closer to her home in Hendersonville, Tennessee. She said the transition was eased by support from the Honors College and the Department of Political Science and Public Service.
“I’m so grateful to be a part of UTC and that they accepted me as a transfer,” she said. “It was probably as seamless a transfer as I could have hoped for.”
She credited faculty mentors for encouraging her to apply for national opportunities, including the PPIA fellowship and a research fellowship with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.
“I have a lot of people to thank because if it wasn’t for Dr. (Straussberger) and the Honors College and the political science department, I wouldn’t have been primed to submit such a holistic application,” she said.
Adolph S. Ochs Professor of Government Michelle Deardorff said Martinek’s intellectual curiosity makes her a strong fit for her upcoming summer experience.
“Hattie is a very curious student who seeks to challenge herself and her understanding of the work,” Deardorff said. “This characteristic of inquisitiveness makes the PPIA JSI program perfect for Hattie and similar students. It certainly tells us that our UTC students are competitive in national programs. I hope more students follow Hattie and apply for these programs; they are career trajectory-changing.”
Beyond the coursework, Martinek said she is looking forward to being immersed in a new academic environment and learning alongside students from across the country.
“Over the seven weeks, we’re taking graduate-level courses,” she said. “I’m just very excited to experience it in the fullest way possible and just soak it in.
“This definitely solidifies that I’m on a political science, public policy track. This very prestigious organization and university were like, ‘We want you to come here and we want to set you up for a career in politics.’ It’s just very thrilling and I’m just so honored.”
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UTC Office of National Scholarships
Department of Political Science and Public Service
“I’ve always known I wanted to do something to help other people; that’s always kind of been my impetus,” Hattie Martinek said. “I needed a career with intention.”
