What department are you a graduate student in?  

​I am currently with the College of Social Sciences Masters in Applied American Politics and Policy program. I am in my 5^th semester and am on track to graduate in Summer 2022.

Why did you decide to go to graduate school? 

I’ve always loved learning and I am one of those people who love school. I took some time off of school after graduating with my bachelor’s and was taking some online certificate courses here and there through different universities, but I figured it would be best for me to get my master’s so I can continue learning but actually have a degree at the end. I also really love my field and decided I wanted to go a little more in-depth with my education. Of course, there is the added bonus of being able to tell people I’m an expert in my field once I graduate. 

Did your interests change throughout your program? 

They ​actually did! When I started the program, I was more interested in the campaign side of politics, but after a few semesters I realized I liked the policy side more, so I started taking classes that focused more on policy and policy analysis. 

What do you want to do with your advanced degree?

I’m hoping to become a policy analyst or a legislative liaison for a non-governmental organization or private company. In addition to my Bachelor’s in Political Science, I have a Bachelor’s in IT, so I’m hoping to leverage that knowledge of technology I have and work on technology policy. That being said, I’m also interested in healthcare and environmental policy, so I’m just letting life take me where it wants to take me.