What inspires you to work in public service?
I was raised in a family of public service workers, and grew up surrounded by advocates, volunteers, and community leaders. From a young age, I would volunteer with a rare disease patient advocate group, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Working with this organization, I became inspired by the passion and commitment to helping others that volunteers around me radiated, and I decided to follow their examples and devote my life to public service. I have found that for me, there is no greater purpose than helping to make the days of those around me at least a little brighter, a little easier.
What is your major, and do you have any minors or specializations?
In undergrad I earned an Honors Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and Public Affairs. Currently, I am working towards a Masters in Public Administration.
What coursework or academic experiences have most shaped your interests in policy, leadership or public service?
Two years ago, I was given the opportunity to assist a professor with her research into how Congress interacts with different federal agencies. While conducting research, I became fascinated by the process of designing legislation and using the powers of the federal government to effectively implement policy. This passion has led me to become interested in working within a federal agency, specifically in intergovernmental affairs.
What specific skills or experiences do you bring to your internship?
To the workplace, I bring the skills of interpersonal communication, critical thinking, and attention to detail. While working on a project, I take every opportunity to work with and seek guidance from those around me, to ensure that I am producing the best work that I can.
What strengths do you most rely on when collaborating with others?
When collaborating with others, I rely upon my ability to listen to others, and ensure that everyone is able to contribute to the goal. I believe that effective work requires approaching the problem from multiple angles, and that by ensuring that everyone's input is heard, a team can efficiently tackle any problem that may occur.
What are your career goals and how do you hope this fellowship will support your professional journey?
Long term, I would like to work within a federal agency in intergovernmental affairs. To get there, I need to develop not only technical knowledge of the public affairs field, but also a network of friends and associates to help me find and obtain jobs. By working in D.C, I will be positioned to not only meet like minded people that can help me find the kind of jobs I am interested in, but I will also accelerate my learning of how government works.
What is your favorite or most impactful project from a previous role?
Two summers ago, I lived in D.C and interned with the Food and Drug Administration on their intergovernmental affairs team. I was placed on a project working with tribal governments to fix how the FDA interacted with tribal land. The issue was that the contracted workers who would work on tribal land on FDA's behalf were not in communications with tribal governments, and therefor would often disrespect the land in ways the tribal governments did not like. I set up a means for these two entities to keep open lines of communications, and for contractors to be held accountable if they went against the wishes of tribal authorities. I enjoyed this project dearly because it gave me the opportunity to learn about tribal governments, which has been largely omitted from my studies in politics. This project also allowed me to learn about the needs of communities that I had never met before, which was exciting and reinvigorated my passion for public service.