Caitlyn Aversman
Fall 2024 John Jay Fellow
Hometown: Waverly, MO
College: John Brown University
Degree: B.S. in Political Science
Caitlyn Aversman comes to the John Jay Institute after working in education policy at the American Enterprise Institute, first as a Research Assistant then as Program Manager. Before this, she graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree and presidential honors in Political Science from John Brown University.
Originally an education major, she discovered her call to public policy roles after working with former Senator Roy Blunt’s domestic policy team. This coincided with meaningful coursework in a discussion-based history class: “Poverty and Welfare in American History.” From these experiences, Caitlyn thought about what it practically looks like to create and maintain systems of good governance as an act of Christian stewardship. This led to her capstone project examining food insecurity on college campuses in Arkansas, across public and private institutions and urbanicity of the campus location. This work was presented at several regional conferences and delivered to the governor’s team as they considered how to address the multifaceted issue.
Benefitting from being a Summer Associate with the Initiative on Faith and Public Life, participating in the Natural Law and Public Affairs Seminar hosted by the Witherspoon Institute, and engaging in colloquias hosted by the Religious Freedom Institute, Liberty Tree, and the Center for Faith and Flourishing—Caitlyn has studied church leaders and the classics.
She looks forward to continuing in learning about church history and preparing for a career in public service, with habituated rhythms of structured, communal prayer and a network of strong leaders from the alumni classes and this fall 2024 cohort. After John Jay, Caitlyn will return to working in education policy—most likely in higher education.