About Us

Major: Political Science + History
My name is Sydney Tate, and I am the President of the Institute for Political Consulting (IPC). I co-founded IPC with my board to provide opportunities for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students to engage in political consulting. Additionally, I established IPC to facilitate the implementation of strategies that address the challenges faced by political organizations and foster community engagement.

Major: Accounting & Information Systems.
I joined IPC because I want to play a meaningful role in Illinois politics, specifically in the Urbana-Champaign community. I want to help organizations and candidates develop strategies that allow them to better serve their communities and create a positive impact throughout the state.

Hello! My name is Anoushka Shenoy and I am an economics and political science major with a minor in business! I decided to join IPC because I have always been interested in politics and public service, and I wanted to gain first-hand experience in the political consulting world. Being able to translate the previous skills I had into managing a consulting team has been a wonderful leadership experience and gave me insight on how to navigate the political world professionally. Overall, IPC has helped teach me how to think critically to solve problems and the value of professionalism.

I am a sophomore majoring in Political Science, English, with a minor in Philosophy. I joined Illinois Political Consulting because I plan to pursue a career in the law and politics, and see learning about political consulting as an incredibly interesting opportunity to delve farther into those career interests. I’m excited to be able to use my Political Science education so far to be able to help Illinois organizations and learn more!

I joined Illinois Political Consulting because of the challenging nature of political consulting itself. Working with a team of others who are also interested in consulting and strategy pushes me to think more critically and creatively about real‑world issues. I enjoy approaching complex problems from different perspectives, and IPC allows me to experience that even more on campus. This opportunity gives me the chance to collaborate with people who think differently from me, helping me gain new ways of understanding future issues. Overall, I joined for the hands‑on experience of political consulting and to connect with others who share my interests.

I'm Matthew Hurtado, a Political Science & Communications major and I joined IPC because I wanted a better understanding of the innerworkings of political spaces.

Political Science, Legal Studies Minor- I joined IPC because I wanted to apply the skills I've learned in my courses and research to work with nonprofits and support their mission. I decided to do so through IPC specifically so I could meet a community of like-minded individuals to bounce ideas off of and so that my peers and I may help each other perfect our skills.

I’ve always been drawn to the idea that thoughtful, analytical work can create a real-world impact, so joining IPC was an obvious decision when I heard about turning community concerns into meaningful action. My experience in various fields from campaigns to compliance makes me versatile to the team, as I’ve learned how to bridge the gap between high-level research and the human impact for delivering client results. Here, I am eager for the opportunity to sharpen my analytical and strategic skills, contributing fresh ideas, and gaining a deeper experience developing practical solutions to complex political challenges in a collaborative, high-level setting.

I joined Illinois Political Consulting because I wanted to dive into work that actually made a difference outside of the classroom. After spending so much time studying political theory and law classes, it felt like a breath of fresh air to apply what I’d learned to real-life campaigns and causes. Plus, knowing I could help people who really needed it was a huge motivator for me. I could apply my prior experiences and expertise with a driven and talented group of people, to create meaningful change.

I've always been a behind a scenes person so serving as Treasurer has opened my eyes to the importance of organizational sustainability in terms of finances. Building financial infrastructure from scratch, figuring out SORF requirements, and making sure we can keep this work going for the long haul, it's shown me that good word required stable foundations. I'm glad to work with such a driven executive and overall cohort!

I joined IPC to gain real world experience. I want to gain skills that I can apply in a professional setting.

Name: Ronan Costello Major: English, Minor: Legal Studies I joined IPC because I saw it as a unique opportunity on campus to become directly involved in the political world as an undergraduate student, as well as to strengthen my research and communication skills.

Major: Political Science Minor: Public Relations and Psychology Why I joined IPC: I joined IPC to learn more about political consulting and gain real-world experience working with political organizations.

Riya Kapoor, Junior, Political Science, and joined IPC to get better at critical thinking and problem solving in the political space

My name is Emilija Gauba, and I am a freshman double-majoring in Finance and Management with a minor in Legal Studies on the pre-law track. I joined IPC to connect with students who share my interests in law and politics while gaining hands-on experience analyzing and addressing complex political challenges. 

Major: Political Science Minor: Legal Studies Why IPC: I joined IPC because I wanted the chance to apply the political analysis I study in the classroom to real world challenges that are affecting my community. IPC stood out to me because it provides a great environment to develop the analytical and strategic skills that are useful far beyond college, especially for anyone like me who's interested in public affairs or policy. Altogether I’m really excited to work with a team that pushes each other to turn their unique ideas into actual social impact.

Majors : Political Science (public policy & democratic institutions), and Psychology (diversity sciences) Minor: Legal Studies Why I Joined IPC: Many of IPC's values align with mine, especially developing professional skills and making impacts in my own community. As a result of that, I was extremely motivated to apply after learning about IPC's creation. 

Hi, I'm Christian Squire, a Junior majoring in Political Science. I am from here in Champaign, and I have spent the last few years working on local political campaigns and with the University legal counsel. I am excited to start work on our projects!