Empowered to Make Change
Dev Purohit ’25 wins Franko-Maisel Prize for his leadership, heart, and abiding commitment to community service
Dev Purohit ’25 remembers when he went to his mother’s office for Take Your Child to Work Day. She is a social worker with New York City’s Department of Social Services, and he recalled hearing her speak to clients.
“She was really helping them,” said Purohit, the oldest son of immigrant parents. “I was young, but I vividly remember somebody coming in asking for help to attend community college. I thought that was a great idea, but I don’t think it was easy for them to fund that request.”
At work that day, he saw firsthand the limits of the government’s ability to help its citizens, reinforcing what he learned instinctively growing up in an immigrant household.
“Government shapes law,” he said. “And law shapes government.”
Purohit brought his passion for government and law to Colby, where he has shown an unwavering commitment to community service and policy advocacy. His leadership and engagement have earned him the 2025 Franko-Maisel Prize for Public Policy, awarded by the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs.
The $5,000 prize will help him get established in Washington, D.C., where he hopes to gain experience in the field before heading to law school.
“I want to be directly interacting with how policy affects the communities it’s supposed to help,” said the government major and economics minor. “I want to learn more about how laws are interpreted, to be at the edge of policymaking and people who are writing and executing the laws.”
“The Goldfarb Center extends its hearty congratulations to Dev Purohit,” said Alison Beyea, executive director of the Goldfarb Center. “Already a seasoned public servant, with stints in New York City’s Mayor’s Office and U.S. House of Representatives under his belt, Dev will use the Franko-Maisel Prize to take the next steps with an anticipated lifelong commitment to a career in government and public service.”
Rising to academic challenges
Purohit grew up in the Queens, N.Y., neighborhood of Bellerose and attended Brooklyn Technical High School, where he concentrated on law and society. His classes included AP U.S. history, criminal law, constitutional law, and AP comparative government and politics. He thought his first government class at Colby would be “a breeze.”
It was not.
“My advisor, Nick Jacobs—he challenged me,” Purohit said of the associate professor of government and inaugural director of Colby’s Public Policy Lab. “Professor Jacobs and other professors in the Government Department pushed me to ask deeper questions and to get me to the point where I am.”
‘I think when the Goldfarb Center empowers people like me to ask questions, it goes a long way.’
Dev Purohit ’25
One of Purohit’s most transformative academic experiences was a 2024 Jan Plan in Berlin. It was a field study course on Germany’s memory culture taught by Jen Yoder, the Robert E. Diamond Professor of Government and Global Studies. The group arrived in Berlin the day after the city’s transit system shut down temporarily because of a strike.
“Dev was one of the youngest students, yet he quickly became a leader of the group of 12. He calmly and competently navigated the group through the maze of Berlin’s massive network of regional rail, U-Bahn, S-Bahn, and trams,” said Yoder.
The time in Berlin inspired Purohit to focus his senior honors research project on transit systems. He used data and research to compare the American transit system with those of European nations.
“In between our class excursions, Dev rode every line from start to finish, something few Berliners I know have done,” said Yoder. “I would not be at all surprised if someday Dev becomes the U.S. Transportation Secretary.”
Engagement outside the classroom
Purohit took advantage of funding from Colby’s DavisConnects and the Goldfarb Center to help him secure local, state, and national internships. During summers and Jan Plans, he found time to serve as a city legislative affairs intern, a state legislative affairs intern for the city of New York, and a legislative intern in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Purohit has also found opportunities to be a leader on campus. His service has included being treasurer of the Student Government Association, head tutor at the Farnham Writers’ Center, and captain of the Mock Trial Team, which has been transformative.
“Mock trial has been essential to getting me to the communicator and team player I am today,” said Purohit. “It teaches you about law and how courtrooms work, and the public speaking component really gets you to think on your feet.” The team travels to regional competitions, where Purohit has won multiple American Mock Trial Association awards.
‘I would not be at all surprised if someday Dev becomes the U.S. Transportation Secretary.’
Jennifer Yoder, the Robert E. Diamond Professor of Government and Global Studies
The Goldfarb Center also played a significant role in Purohit’s development. He attended events during his first year and was soon invited to pre-event dinners with subsequent speakers. As an upperclassman, he moderated two discussions for the Goldfarb Center’s popular “In the News” series, including one with retired U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, a personal hero.
All of the Goldfarb Center events allowed Purohit to continue interacting with issues related to government and rights outside of the classroom. He said the events complemented the questions he asked himself all four years at Colby.
The highlight, however, was being on the stage with Leahy. He realized what an incredible opportunity it was.
“I think when the Goldfarb Center empowers people like me to ask questions, it goes a long way,” said Purohit. “Everybody sees that they can also be on that stage, that they can also ask questions, and they can also really make a change.”
