In 2024, Kylie Tugend participated in the Spring Semester in Washington, D.C., Program, where she served as a communications and policy intern at the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, a bipartisan nonprofit.

Burning issues

Article by Sophonie Milord Photos courtesy of Kylie Tugend May 19, 2026

Graduating senior Kylie Tugend applies her Biden School education to win competition

How do you develop wildfire mitigation strategies for a fictional town?

For graduating senior Kylie Tugend, who competed in a national competition asking this very question, the key to winning a site competition was not just policy knowledge; it was the art of compromise she mastered as a double major in environmental studies and 4+1 master of public policy student at the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration,

“Everyone is in this school because they want to improve something, whether it’s Delaware at the state, federal or local level,” said Tugend. “I think that really pushes you to be better because everyone around you is reaching for more.”

At the 2026 Network of Schools Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration’s (NASPAA) Global Student Simulation Competition, she and Biden School classmate, Sasha Altman, leaned on their education to negotiate a delicate compromise.

Tugend is a senior double major in environmental studies and public policy in the Master of Public Policy 4+1 program.

The annual event places participants into teams and tasks them with solving a realistic public-sector problem, like a pandemic outbreak or migration challenge. Students are assigned stakeholder roles, such as emergency manager or public health official or politician, and they must analyze fictional data, negotiate with one another and respond to an evolving crisis.

Tugend and Altman understood exactly when to push, when to protect and when to ensure the group remained united. This balanced approach allowed the Blue Hen team to navigate the simulation’s hurdles and turn potential conflict into a cohesive strategy for the collective good.

“NASPAA was a very unique experience in which I learned how to address a relevant policy issue in a real-life scenario,” Altman said. “It was mentally stimulating and a great example of environmental application.”

While many participants in the simulation may have been personally swayed by the emotional appeals of fictional constituents, the UD students relied on the analytical skills they developed in class. When letters arrived from “worried townspeople claiming that burning shrubbery would cause beetles to pollute the air,” Tugend and Altman didn't just react — they reflected and then carefully investigated.

This commitment to the facts was exactly what the judges were looking for, and a core lesson from their studies.

“Professors at the Biden School stress that for any action you take, make sure you can back it up,” Tugend said.

In 2024, Tugend participated in the Spring Semester in Washington, D.C., Program, where she served as a communications and policy intern at the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, a bipartisan nonprofit.

The conference also reinforced UD’s longstanding commitment to unique educational experiences — many of which Tugend has leveraged firsthand. She has pursued opportunities spanning political communications at Legislative Hall in Dover, bipartisan environmental advocacy in D.C. and innovative research on Delaware’s corporate franchise.

In 2024, Tugend participated in the Spring Semester in Washington D.C. Program, where she served as a communications and policy intern at the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, a bipartisan nonprofit. As a communications fellow in the 45th cohort of the Jerome R. Lewis Legislative Fellows Program, she worked with the Delaware House of Representatives Majority Caucus, strengthening her decision-making, communication and research skills, while enabling her to think critically and disseminate information quickly.

With Commencement on the horizon, Tugend will complete her roles as a Legislative Fellow and an IPA Public Administration Fellow with the Corporate Collaborative at UD, a partnership between the Institute for Public Administration and the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance. Tugend contributes to research-driven memos, newsletters and economic analyses for the collaborative.

For incoming or current students trying to find their own path at UD, Tugend’s advice is personal: “Even if you're not 100%, say yes and take that opportunity.”

About the Institute for Public Administration

The University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration (IPA) addresses the policy, planning, and management needs of its partners through the integration of applied research, professional development, and the education of tomorrow’s leaders. As a research and public service center in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, IPA collaborates with state agencies, municipal governments, nonprofits, communities, and businesses to examine complex policy issues and improve quality of life in Delaware and beyond.

About the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration

Established in 1961 and named in 2018 for the University of Delaware’s most distinguished alumnus, the 46th President of the United States, the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration prepares students with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage in research and public service to improve the quality of life in communities around the world. Biden School faculty, staff, students, and alumni create and use interdisciplinary, nonpartisan research, and empirically based analysis to inform effective decision-making and policy and improve leadership and administration. The Biden School partners with organizations from all sectors to discover innovative and equitable solutions to the critical challenges of our time.