Bess Pierre is a senior from Massachusetts studying Public Policy with a Child Policy Research certificate and a German minor. Bess’s academic interests include education, affordable housing, and family welfare. At Duke, Bess has worked with the Duke Partnership for Service, served as a project director for Experiential Orientation, and volunteered at the Community Empowerment Fund. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career working at the intersection of public and private spheres where she can help improve systems and institutions that serve women and children.

Honors Thesis: Foster Youth, Stability, and the Education System: An Evaluation of the Every Student Succeed Act’s Educational Stability Provision in Massachusetts

Faculty Advisor: Professor Megan Golonka