Vice President Joe Biden and Lady Gaga at the Oscars

It's On Us: Vice President Joe Biden and Lady Gaga at the Oscars

Last night, Vice President Joe Biden introduced Lady Gaga at the Oscars, where she performed a song she co-wrote to address the issue of on-campus sexual assault. He called it a "brave and powerful song" and pressed all attendees to help put an end to sexual assault on college campuses. The Vice President also encouraged viewers support the cause by taking the #ItsOnUs pledge.

Ashley Biden, Natali Germanotta, Vice President Joe Biden, Lady Gaga, and Dr. Jill Biden greet one another backstage at last night's 88th Academy Awards.

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CHECK OUT LADY GAGA 2017 TOUR DATES HERE 

President Obama to Honor National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide

 President Obama to Honor National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide

 On Wednesday, March 2, President Obama will welcome the Alabama Crimson Tide football team to honor them on winning the 2015- 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship.  This visit will continue the tradition begun by President Obama of honoring sports teams for their efforts to give back to their communities.

WHAT:          President Obama to Honor the Alabama Crimson Tide football team

WHEN:          Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at 3PM ET

Obama's comments on the Supreme Court process

Here's the full transcript of Obama's comments on the Supreme Court process.

question: Can you respond to Mitch McConnell’s comments yesterday about your supreme court choices and the fact that they’re not planning on holding hearings what so ever [clickity clackity of cameras obscured the last bit of the question here]

The constitution says that I nominate candidates for the supreme court when there’s a vacancy and the senate exercises its constitutional authority to advise and consent. I’m going to do my job. We are going to go through a process as we have done in two previous supreme court vacancies to identify an outstanding candidate that has impeccable legal credentials, and that would bring the kind of ability, and compassion, objectivity, and legal reasoning to the court that the highest court in the land demands.

Once I’ve made the nomination, leader mcconnell and all of the members of the senate will make a decision about how they fulfill their constitutional responsibilities. I recognize that the politics are hard for them. Because the easier thing to do is to give in to the most extreme voices in their party and stand pat, and do nothing.

But that’s not our job. Our job is to fulfill our constitutional duties. And so my hope and expectation is that once there is an actual nominee, once this is no longer a hypothetical, that those on the judiciary committee recognize that their job is to give this person a review, to show the courtesy of meeting with them. Then they are free to vote what ever their conscience dictates about whether this person is qualified or not.

In the meantime the American people are gonna have the ability to gauge whether the person I nominate is well within the mainstream, is a good jurist, is somebody who’s worthy of sitting on the supreme court. And I think it will be very difficult for Mr McConnell to explain if the public concludes that this person is very well qualified, that the senate should stand in the way simply for political reasons. We’ll see what happens.  And I think the situation may evolve over time. I don’t expect Mitch McConnell to say that is the case today. I don’t expect any member of the Republican caucus to stick their head out at the moment and say that. Let’s see how the public responds to the nominee we put forward.

The one thing I think is important to dispel is any notion that somehow that this is some well established tradition, or some constitutional principle, that a president in his last year in office cannot fill a supreme court vacancy. It’s not in the text of the constitution, and ironically these are republicans who say they believe in reading the text of the constitution and focusing on the intent of the constitution. None of the founding fathers thought that when it comes to the president carrying out his duties, he can do it for three years and then on the last year stop doing it.

There’s an argument that, ‘well, the president shouldn’t do this because he’s a lame duck.’ Well, the truth of the matter is that traditionally the term lame duck refers to the two or three months after an election has taken place, in which a new president is about to be sworn in. I’ve got a year to go, I don’t think they’d approve of me abdicating on my duties as commander in chief and stop doing all the other work I’ve got to do. Well, this is part of my job.

There’s been arguments that for 80 years that this has been the tradition. Well, that’s not the case. Justice Kennedy was approved after being nominated by Ronald Reagan in Ronald Reagan’s last year of office. And they say ‘well that’s different because he had been nominated in 1987, even if he was confirmed, or in 1985 and confirmed in ’86.’ Well the notion that there’s some two month period in which suddenly it all flips and everything shuts down? That’s not a credible argument.

What other arguments do they make? They suggest that there’s been a couple of times where Democrats have said it would be wise for a president not to nominate someone. First of all, we know senators say stuff all the time. Second of all, these were comments where there was no actual nomination. That’s not the same. It has no application to the actual situation that we have right now.

I’m trying to think of any other reeds that they’re grasping here as to why they would not carry out their duties. And I can’t really think of one. I recognize that this is an important issue for their constituencies. And it’s particularly sensitive because this is Justice Scalia’s seat that is now vacant and that a whole host of decisions in the Supreme Court turn on this 9^th justice and their vote. But that’s how our democracy is supposed to work.

And I do – the last point I’ll make. We have already seen a breakdown of the judicial appointment process that gets worse and worse each and every Congress. It becomes harder and harder to get any candidate to the judiciary confirmed. We saw Sen. Reid have to employ the so-called nuclear option because there was such a backlog in terms of getting judicial nominations through.

If in fact the Republicans in the Senate take a posture that defies the constitution, defies logic, is not supported by tradition simply because of politics, then invariably what you’re going to see is a further deterioration in the ability of any president make any judicial nomination. And appointments to the supreme court as well as the federal bench suddenly become a complete extension of our polarized politics. And at that point not only are we going to see more and more vacancies and the court systems breakdown, but the credibility of the court itself is diminished because it’s seen as an extension of our politics. This is a Republican judge, or this is a Democratic judge, rather than this is a Supreme Court Justice whose supposed to be standing above the day to day politics.

So I understand the posture they’re taking right now. I get the politics of it, I’m sure they’re under enormous pressure from their base and their constituencies around this issue. I’ve talked to many of them, and I’ve told them I’m sympathetic. And by the way, there’s not a lot of vigor when they defend the position they’re taking, that they wouldn’t even consider a supreme court nominee. They’re pretty sheepish about it, about those comments.

So we’ll see how this plays itself out. But I’m going to do my job. I’m going to nominate somebody and let the American people decide whether that person is qualified. And if they are qualified let the American people decide whether there’s enough time for the U.S. Senate to hold hearings and have a vote. It’s not as if, from what I see, that the Senate calendar is so full that we don’t have time to do this nominee.

--

John Stanton

Buzzfeed.com

DC Bureau Chief

Charlotte City Council Votes 7-4 approving non-discrimination measure for LGBT

Council votes 7-4 approving  #CLTequality measure. Why Clair Fallon changed her vote from last year. Bathroom issue dominated the debate and public comments. Both Gov. McCrory and Lt. Gov. Dalton says General Assembly will take immediate action. What's next and what are the back stories. With over fifty reporters and cameras at last night's Charlotte […]

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Hey Bernie It Is Not A Push Poll

Don’t Call it a Push Poll: Bernie Sanders Campaign Edition

Here is What A Push Polls Is

Arguing about the term “push poll” is a biennial tradition and, thanks to the Bernie Sanders campaign, we get to do it once again.

On Thursday, ABC News wrote about a recent poll conducted in Nevada by a group that favors former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The headline, “Recording Suggests Hillary Clinton Backers Testing Attack Lines Ahead of Nevada Caucus,” was provocative and the availability of the audio was unusual.

It’s not surprising that someone heard negative messages being tested and thought something was improper. What was surprising was the criticism from Sanders’ pollster.

“In my view, it is one-sided and that is what you call a push poll. A whole battery of negatives against Sanders and then, ‘Would that make you more or less likely to vote for him?,’” Democratic pollster Ben Tulchin told ABC News. “You have to try to maintain some sort of balance and they didn’t even try.”

That may sound reasonable, but it goes against bipartisan agreement on the definition of the term “push poll” that goes back over 20 years.

Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, who has done extensive polling in Nevada for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, was quick to respond on Twitter: This is “testing negative lines of attack” as @taddevine says; it’s NOT a “push poll” as @TulchinResearch suggests."

I followed up with Mellman who reminded me, push polls were officially defined and condemned by the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) in December 1995, the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the National Council on Public Polls in 1996 and the Council of Marketing and Opinion Research (CMOR) (1996), The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research (2001) and by a letter from 35 Republican and Democratic pollsters in 1995 to the AAPC.

My colleague Stuart Rothenberg wrote about the difference between “push polls” and advocacy calls in a 2007 Roll Call column, “For the Thousandth Time: Don’t Call Them ‘Push Polls,” and my friend Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post did a good job of explaining this latest situation in his post, “No, Hillary Clinton isn’t push polling in Nevada.”

But Tulchin’s criticism of the poll and use of the term “push poll” still didn’t add up.

He is a legitimate pollster who does work for the Democratic campaign committees, outside groups and credible candidates, including former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, who is widely-regarded as a potential running mate for Clinton.

Before I followed up with Tulchin, I wanted to make sure it was indeed a legitimate survey. I talked to the pollster, who only agreed to speak anonymously, and confirmed it was a random sample of likely caucus-goers in Nevada.

“Based on my many years of being in the polling industry, there are two kinds of ‘push polls’ – an ‘advocacy’ poll as you call it (not a scientific survey at all) or a scientific survey that is one-sided and tries to ‘push’ respondents in a direction without any attempt at being balanced,” Tulchin told me.

“The poll that was recorded attempts to be a scientific survey but is completely one-sided and only offers negative information about Bernie Sanders with nothing negative about [Clinton],” Tulchin continued, “So in my view, that makes it a push poll as defined by the latter description, a term that’s been used in the industry for many years and is still used today by pollsters, if not pundits.”

“Call it what you will, but that is a push poll from where I’m sitting as many pollsters would define it,” he added.

So I reached out to a handful of pollsters, Republicans and Democrats without a candidate in the fight, and they disagreed with Tulchin’s explanation.

They agreed that pollsters talk about “push questions” in their scientific surveys, but don’t use the term “push poll” to refer to their own surveys with “push questions” in them. They also explained that equity of negative and positive messages between both candidates is not only subjective and not always necessary, it is sometimes not even recommended because more messages limits the use of responses to later questions because respondents are biased with previous information.

“If everyone has their own personal definition of words and phrases, it’s very difficult to communicate,” Mellman told Roll Call, “The profession has long had a consensus on what a push poll is and isn’t. This poll as described does not fit the definition of a push poll in any way.”

“Ben seems to have shifted his role from a campaign pollster, who provides internal, unbiased analysis, to a campaign flack who spins the campaign message,” according to one unaligned Democratic pollster about Tulchin.

“[T]hat poll wreaked of panic,” Tulchin added. “The race in Nevada has tightened dramatically and they are freaking out. They threw a bunch of stuff in a poll to see what would stick.”

That may well be true. But please, don’t call it a push poll.

By Nathan L. Gonzales

 nathan@rothenberggonzales.com

What Is Super Tuesday About

Super Tuesday, the day in early March when a host of states hold their presidential nominating contests, has always been an important part of the election calendar. This year, though, the day will have a different, more decidedly regional feel. That’s because a group of southern states have moved their primaries to Super Tuesday, creating what’s being dubbed the SEC Primary.

Here’s a quick guide to one of the biggest days of the election season:

WHEN IS SUPER TUESDAY? March 1, 2016

WHICH STATES ARE VOTING? Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia will hold nominating contests for both parties. On the Republican side, Colorado will hold its caucus, but not award any delegates based on the outcome, instead allowing its 37 delegates to remain unpledged. Alaska will also hold its Republican caucus, while American Samoa will hold its Democratic caucus. Additionally, Democrats abroad will be able to cast ballots during the first week of March.

HOW IS THE LIST OF STATES DIFFERENT THIS YEAR? Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas all moved their primaries to Super Tuesday after holding them on different dates in 2012. Idaho, Wyoming and North Dakota all held their Republican nominating contests on Super Tuesday in 2012, but Idaho moved its primary to March 8 this year, while North Dakota and Wyoming are not holding nominating contests. (Josh Putnam, a political science lecturer at the University of Georgia, explains the odd circumstances in Colorado, North Dakota, and Wyoming on his website, Frontloading HQ. )

WHY IS IT CALLED THE SEC PRIMARY? The primary is named after the Southeastern Conference, the powerhouse college athletics league that includes the flagship state universities in most states throughout the Southeast. The name, though, is a bit misleading. Only five of the 12 states — Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas — have schools in the SEC. (Alabama and Tennessee have two apiece: the University of Alabama and Auburn University for Alabama and the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University for Tennessee. The other three states have one SEC school apiece: the University of Arkansas, the University of Georgia and Texas A&M.)

HOW MANY DELEGATES ARE AT STAKE? There are 595 delegates at stake on the Republican side (24 percent of the 2,472 total delegates throughout the country) and 1,004 delegates at stake on the Democratic side (21 percent of the 4,763 delegates to the convention.)

HOW DID THE SEC PRIMARY COME ABOUT? Brian Kemp, the Secretary of State in Georgia, collaborated with other southern Secretaries of State in hopes of getting more southern states to hold their primaries on the same day. Kemp succeeded in getting Alabama, Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma to join Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia on the list of southern states voting on Super Tuesday. As the National Review’s Eliana Johnson writes, Kemp’s goal was to increase the influence southern states have on the nominating process, forcing candidates to pay attention to the south rather than ignoring the region in favor of more delegate-rich states in other parts of the country.

HOW WILL THE SEC PRIMARY IMPACT EACH PARTY’S RACE? Kemp’s plan seems to have worked for the most part. Super Tuesday now has a decidedly southern feel, and the makeup of the calendar has had a major impact on certain candidates’ strategies. Ted Cruz, for instance, is all but staking his entire campaign on a strong finish in the SEC, where his platform is tailored to the most conservative voters in the country. There’s one catch, however, on the GOP side: Moving primary dates is a complicated process that requires sign-off from the Republican National Committee. In exchange for allowing the extra southern states to move their primaries, the RNC mandated that all states with primaries between March 1 and March 14 award their delegates proportionately, rather than via the winner-take-all method, which raises each candidate’s stakes in a given states. Click here for a breakdown of the RNC’s delegate rules. The Washington Post’s Jenna Johnson also wrote this in-depth piece on the SEC primary’s origins last May. The SEC Primary could also have a big impact on the Democratic race. The region’s heavy concentration of African-American voters on the Democratic side is good news for Hillary Clinton, who leads Bernie Sanders in polls of 10 of the 12 states voting between March 1 and March 8. Winning the lion’s share of the delegates at stake Super Tuesday could allow Clinton to halt Sanders’ momentum before he becomes an even more serious threat than he’s already become.

Source Heavy.com

White House Internship Program Announces Spring 2016 Participants

White House Internship Program Announces Spring 2016 Participants

 The White House Internship Program announced today the participants for the Spring 2016 session. The mission of the program is to make the White House accessible to future leaders around the nation and to prepare those devoted to public service for future leadership opportunities.

A White House Internship provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and build leadership skills. Interns work in one of several White House departments, including the Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council, the Office of Cabinet Affairs, the Office of Communications, the Office of Digital Strategy, the Office of the First Lady, the Office of Legislative Affairs, the Office of Management and Administration, the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach, the Office of Presidential Correspondence, the Presidential Personnel Office, the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Office of Scheduling and Advance, the Office of the Vice President, the Office of the White House Counsel, and the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.

Additional information about the White House Internship Program is available here:www.whitehouse.gov/internships

Spring 2016 White House Interns

The list below includes the Spring 2016 White House Interns, their hometowns, and the higher education institution they most recently attended.

Aguzino, Celeste Hometown: Downers Grove, IL; The George Washington University, D.C.

Alderete, Jaqlyn Hometown: El Paso, TX; The University of Texas at El Paso, TX

Anim-Yankah, Sariah Hometown: Burke, VA; Virginia Commonwealth University, VA

Apodaca, Alexis Hometown: Phoenix, AZ; The University of Oklahoma, OK

Arango, Jeffrey Hometown: Long Beach, CA; University of Pennsylvania, PA 

Avery, Melanie Hometown: Alexandria, VA; University of Maryland, MD

Baker, Sequoia Hometown: Milwaukee, WI; University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI

Balosos, Cassandra Hometown: Charlotte, NC; Roanoke College, VA

Beach, Jacob Hometown: Grapevine, TX; Texas A&M University, TX

Begin, Brady Hometown: Sammamish, WA; University of Washington, Seattle, WA 

Bhatti, Amardeep Hometown: Las Vegas, NV; University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV

Blair, Rebecca Hometown: Nyack, NY; Cornell University, NY

Bloomfield, Cormac Hometown: Upper Arlington, OH; The Ohio State University, OH

Bohm, Allison Hometown: Hastings-on-Hudson, NY; Georgetown University, D.C.

Brown, Marissa Hometown: Waldorf, MD; University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Brown, Subira Hometown: Queens, NY; Andrews University, MI

Brown, Jeremy Hometown: Arlington, VA; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Buckwalter, Anne Hometown: Indianapolis, IN; Oberlin College, OH

Butler, Lamar Hometown: Society Hill, SC; Alabama State University, AL

Capon, Stephanie Hometown: Miami, FL; University of Florida, FL

Carralero, Marco Hometown: Baltimore, MD; University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Carreon, John Aldrin Hometown: Los Angeles, CA; University of California, Berkeley, CA

Carter, Jeniece Hometown: Detroit, MI; Grand Valley State University, MI

Chase, Sarah Hometown: Dayton, OH; The George Washington University, D.C.

Cialeo, Christopher Hometown: San Diego, CA; Georgetown University, D.C.

Cohen, Danielle Hometown: Carrboro, NC; The George Washington University, D.C.

Cook, Timothy Hometown: Aurora, IL; Hope College, MI

Cook, Daniel Hometown: Sacramento, CA; University of California, Los Angeles, CA

Cowdin, Ryan Hometown: Arlington, VA; The George Washington University, D.C.

Creppy, Justen Hometown: Silver Springs, MD; Clark Atlanta University, GA

Cullity, Jodi Hometown: Wrentham, MA; University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Damon, David Hometown: Wakulla, FL; Florida State University, FL

Dandridge, Alana Hometown: Como, MS; The University of Mississippi, MS

Davis, Logan Hometown: Montgomery, NJ; The George Washington University, D.C.

Delessa, Faskia Hometown: Clarksburg, MD; University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Demirchyan, Andranik Hometown: Los Angeles, CA; University of California, CA

Diaz, Alicia Hometown: San Jose, CA; University of California, Irvine, CA 

Egan, Brian Hometown: Exton, PA; American University, D.C.

Emeterio, Matthew Hometown: Temecula, CA; Georgetown University, D.C.

Faghihvaseghi, Bardia Hometown: Baskin Ridge, NJ; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Ferguson, Joshua Hometown: Houston, TX; University of Houston, TX

Fogarty, Paula Hometown: Grosse Ile, MI; Michigan State University, MI

Freeman, Evan Hometown: Baltimore, MD; Yale University, CT

Gallagher, Lauren Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Garrett, Ashley Hometown: Boston, MA; American University, D.C.

Gaughan, Michaela Hometown: Herndon, VA; Saint Mary’s College, IN

George, Maycie Hometown: Richmond, TX; University of Houston, TX

Gesualdo, Nicholas Hometown: Vancouver, WA; Brown University, RI

Gibbs, Tyler Hometown: Rutland, MA; American University, D.C.

Glazer, Alexandra Hometown: Orinda, CA; University of Southern California, CA

Glicklich, David Hometown: New York, NY; American University, D.C.

Goldberg, Allison Hometown: Columbia, MD; University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Goldvale, Casey Hometown: Takoma Park, MD; Cornell University, NY

Graure, Ethan Hometown: Oak Ridge, NJ; American University, D.C.

Gray, Antione Hometown: Queens, NY; University of Pennsylvania, PA

Gray-Hoehn, Hayley Hometown: Brookfield, WI; University of Richmond, VA

Gupta, Sachin Hometown: Trophy Club, TX; Georgetown University, D.C.

Haidar, Mark Hometown: Plymouth, MI; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Hailemeskel, Merone Hometown: Alexandria, VA; George Mason University, VA

Hamilton, Nikiesha Hometown: Brooklyn, NY; American University, D.C.

Hankins, Robert Hometown: Washington, D.C.; New York University, NY

Heisler, Gillen Hometown: Atlanta, GA; Georgia Institute of Technology, GA

Henagan, William Hometown: Atlanta, GA; University of Virginia, VA

Hesterman, Jonathan Hometown: Camden, DE; University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Hill, Matthew Hometown: Buffalo Grove, IL; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL

Ho, Scarlett Hometown: Boston, MA; Northeastern University, MA

Hochman, Sarah Hometown: Bloomingdale, IL; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL

Holland, Lauren Hometown: Beaumont, TX; Texas A&M University, TX

Howard, Alexander Hometown: Key Biscayne, FL; Florida International University, FL

Howard, Karim Hometown: Washington, D.C.; University of Missouri, Columbia, MO

Howe, Hunter Hometown: Billings, MT; The University of Utah, UT

Jackson, Cierra Hometown: Columbus, GA; Spelman College, GA

Jackson, Dionne Hometown: Richmond, VA; Stanford University, CA

Jordan Oliver, Natassija Hometown: Oakland, CA; University of California, Berkeley, CA

Joseph II, Gregory Hometown: Kailua, HI; American University, D.C.

Kim, Ji Yeon Hometown: Cypress, CA; University of Notre Dame, IN

Kist, Gregory Hometown: Williamsport, PA; London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom

Lapsia, Tina Hometown: Trumbull, CT; University of Connecticut, CT

Lee, So Hometown: Corona, CA; American University, D.C.

Leiro, Simone Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC; New York University, NY

Leon, Kathleen Hometown: Fort Meyers, FL; Florida Gulf Coast University, FL

Lerner, Gabriel Hometown: Bethesda, MD; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Li, Diane Hometown: New Hyde Park, NY; The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Lisbon, Paul Hometown: Kansas City, MO; The George Washington University, D.C.

Lu, Michelle Hometown: Brea, CA; Pepperdine University, CA

Makker, Tania Hometown: Edison, NJ; Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

Marc, Ricaldi Hometown: Boca Raton, FL; St. Thomas University, FL

Martinez, Demetrius Hometown: McAllen, TX; The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, TX

Masell, Gina Hometown: Perrysburg, OH: Michigan State University, MI

Mathew, Priya Hometown: Flower Mound, TX; The University of Texas, Dallas, TX

McCutcheon, Zachary Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, CA; Arizona State University, AZ

McDermott, Jane Hometown: Baltimore, MD; The George Washington University, D.C.

McGrath, Daniel Hometown: Union, NJ; Harvard University, MA

McKinley, Gavin Hometown: Amarillo, TX; Texas State University, TX

McLawhorn, Caitlin Hometown: Knoxville, TN; Maryville College, TN

McNamara, James Hometown: Bedford, MA; Georgetown University, D.C.

Moore, Lucy Hometown: Seattle, WA; University of Southern California, CA

Mowat, Rachel Hometown: Tampa, FL; University of Florida, FL

Nashed, Yasmine Hometown: East Brunswick, NJ; Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

Newman, Taylor Hometown: Tallahassee, FL; Florida State University, FL

Obscura, Julio Hometown: Laredo, TX; Texas A&M International University, TX

O'Grady, Caitlin Hometown: Arlington, VA; Pepperdine University, CA

Packett, Lasima Hometown: Indianapolis, IN; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, IN

Papadopoulos, Alexa Hometown: Mooresville, NC; The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Pervaiz, Saba Hometown: O’Fallon, MO; University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO

Polzin, Savannah Hometown: Boulder, CO; The George Washington University, D.C.

Ponce, Yahaira Hometown: Oxnard, CA; University of California, Santa Barbara, CA

Potter, Luke Hometown: Waimea, HI; Duke University, NC

Powell, Ebony Hometown: Philadelphia, PA; Temple University, PA

Puryear, Daphnee Hometown: Lynn, MA; University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

Ramirez, Leslie Hometown: El Paso, TX; The University of Texas, El Paso, TX

Ramos, Karolina Hometown: South Burlington, VT; The George Washington University, D.C.

Ratliff, James Hometown: Gainesville, VA; University of Virginia, VA

Reyes, Shayra Hometown: Bronx, NY; State University of New York- College at Geneseo, NY

Riles, Andrea Hometown: Chicago, IL; Howard University, D.C.

Roberson, Cyrell Hometown: Baton Rouge, LA; University of California, Berkley, CA

Rodriguez, Angela Hometown: Riverside, CA; California State University, East Bay, CA

Roman, Roxanne Hometown: Okinawa, Japan; New York University Shanghai, China

Rose, Bridget Hometown: Medfield, MA; Roanoke College, VA

Rosenberg, Robert Hometown: Simi Valley, CA; California Lutheran University, CA

Saltiel, Sarah Hometown: Atlanta, GA; Georgia Institute of Technology, GA

Sanchez-Velasco, Marissa Hometown: Pasadena, CA; University of California, Irvine, CA

Sanderson, Jamie Hometown: Midland, MI; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Sarman, Taylor Hometown: Union, OR; Oregon State University, OR

Saunders, Candace Hometown: Irving, TX; University of Houston, TX

Scanlon, John Hometown: Brookfield, WI; University of Notre Dame, IN

Scher, Madeleine Hometown: Los Gatos, CA; University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Scoratow, Jessica Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA; Georgetown University, D.C.

Selma, Davetta Hometown: Los Angeles, CA; Southwestern University, TX

Sheinberg, Dylan Hometown: Weston, FL; The George Washington University, D.C.

Siddiqui, Myra Hometown: Houston, TX; Harvard University, MA

Silliman, Jack Hometown: Olney, MD; American University, D.C. 

Singh, Rebecca Hometown: Sayreville, NJ; Northeastern University, MA

Sinistaj, Dolores Hometown: Grosse Pointe, MI; Michigan State University, MI

Smith, Alexander Hometown: Overland Park, KS; New York University, NY

Solomon, Harry Hometown: Huntington, NY; Northeastern University, MA

Stone, Matthew Hometown: Chicago, IL; Yale University, CT

Strojny, Jason Hometown: Taunton, MA; University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, MA

Syed, Shawn Hometown: New Milford, NJ; The College of New Jersey, NJ

Sztraicher, Jacob Hometown: Encinitas, CA; University of Virginia, VA

Tarlin, Solomon Hometown: Sharon, MA; Boston University, MA

Tenorio, Luis Hometown: Chino Hills, CA; St. John’s University, NY

Torok, Ashley Hometown: San Juan Capistrano, CA; Wheaton College, IL

Torres, Isael Hometown: Logan, UT; The University of Utah, UT

Townsend, Morgan Hometown: Hyattsville, MD; Robert Morris University, PA

Tull, Rebecca Hometown: Dalton, GA; The University of Texas, Dallas, TX

Valdez, Reginaldo Hometown: San Juan, TX; The University of Texas, Austin, TX

Valenzuela, Daniel Hometown: Sterling, VA; Harvard University, MA

Velodota, Dean Hometown: Southington, CT; The George Washington University, D.C.

Waechter, Sierra Hometown: Reno, NV; University of Nevada, Reno, NV

Wang, Linda Hometown: Palo Alto, CA; University of Southern California, CA

Wellner, Jacob Hometown: Washington, D.C.; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Werling, Lauren Hometown: Westlake, OH; The Catholic University of America, D.C.

Whitfill, Mary Hometown: Coppell, TX; Northeastern University, MA

Wilkes, Christina Hometown: San Francisco, CA; University of Southern California, CA

Willard, James Hometown: Northville, MI; Central Michigan University, MI

Williams, Honor Hometown: Washington, D.C.; The George Washington University, D.C.

Williams, Joshua Hometown: Jim Thorpe, PA; The Pennsylvania State University, PA

Wilson, Lenna Hometown: Lexington, KY; American University, D.C.

Winters, Kyle Hometown: Sherman, CT; DePauw University, IN

Young, Miriam Hometown: West Hartford, CT; The George Washington University, D.C.