Michael Caplan
Fall 2021 John Jay Fellow
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
College: University of California, Santa Barbara
Degree: B.A. in History and Political Science
Michael Caplan hails from the Los Angeles, CA area and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara with a B. A. in History and Political Science. During his time at UCSB, Michael participated in the L & S Honors Program at UCSB, served on the executive boards of UCSB Model United Nations (MUN) and Gaucho Catholic Student association in addition to founding the Executive Council chapter of AEI at UCSB. He has interned for the Claremont Institute, the Office of Assembly member Phillip Chen, Young Kim for Congress, and Justin Fareed for Congress.
During his junior year, he studied abroad in Madrid and Rome with the European Transformations Program. While an undergraduate he attended multiple AIPAC conferences and participated in pro-Israel advocacy on Capitol Hill. Michael studied under Dr. Yuval Levin in the 2020 AEI Summer Honors Program seminar “Freedom, Progress, and Tradition.” His research interests primarily encompass the origins of the American Experiment and its durability in the current era. He conducted a senior history honors thesis that examined the influence of George Mason on the American Founding and the multiplicity of meanings associated with “political liberty” in that era.
Michael aspires to attend law school and pursue a legal career specializing in public interest appellate law. In his free time, he enjoys reading biographies and political theory, exploring art museums, and practicing his amateur photography skills.