Ryan Hurt is a first-year graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public affairs through the LBJ School of Public Affairs and hopes to one day utilize policy research as a means of advocacy. In 2021, he graduated from UT Austin with a bachelor degree in government and Plan II honors and was awarded the J.J. Pickle Citizenship Award for his various contributions to campus throughout his time on the Forty Acres. This past year, in addition to being a teaching assistant for undergraduate classes, he served as a Policy Fellow for the Texas Association of Community Colleges and helped develop legislative and fiscal strategies for community college success throughout the state. He is interested in higher education policy, government accountability, and public financial management.