Meet Ella Magaw

Bachelor of Arts in Public Management, Leadership and Policy Student

I want to fight for fair and affordable housing.

Growing up, I lived in an affordable housing unit in a wealthy college town with my parents. It was there that I learned the value of and connection between homeownership and generational equity. My family is deeply Appalachian, hailing from the coal towns of Eastern Kentucky and Southeastern Ohio, and we were lucky enough to break into the world of homeownership with years of work across multiple generations. I now want to continue the fight for fair and affordable housing as both my future career and my life’s passion.

In my first year, I felt very lost in the enormity and vastness that is Ohio State as a whole. I knew I valued love, compassion, and equity especially in the housing realm, but I was unsure of how to promote these values in the college setting… until I found the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. 

As a first-year, I became familiar with the Glenn College through my participation in the John Glenn Civic Leadership Living Learning Community where I took classes and lived with people who shared my passion for promoting the betterment of society through our individual policy interests. I am now a second-year Public Management, Leadership, and Policy student at the Glenn College, and I feel I have found my place in this University. 

Last year, I began doing undergraduate research under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie Moulton, a faculty member whose research focuses on housing and consumer finance. She set me up with a project about mortgage loan availability that helped me channel my passion into tangible work. I now do research concerning home repair and energy accessibility programs under Michael Pires from OSU’s Battelle Center, and I am immensely excited for what the future holds with this work. 

With skills from my amazing introductory Glenn classes and resume help from the wonderful Jim Ellison, I was able to thrive at an internship with U.S. Senator John Fetterman (PA-D) this past summer. The Glenn College sets its students up for success, and I have experienced that first-hand. 

From the countless professional development events to the kind faculty and administration to the passionate student body, the John Glenn College of Public Affairs is the place to be.

Ella Magaw is earning her Bachelor of Arts in Public Management, Leadership and Policy and is a prospective combined Master of Public Administration student. She has a pre-law designation and is minoring in both Civic Engagement and Philosophy. Ella is a Morrill Scholar and participant in the John Glenn Living Learning Community. 

Learn more about Magaw's work.

Glenn College students learn about national challenges and promote civil discourse among their peers to envision solutions.

Students Prioritize Facts Over Partisanship to Advance Policy Solutions

Magaw and seven other Ohio State students are learning about civil discourse as ambassadors of a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, nonpartisan organization called Free the Facts.
Read the story.

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Published on: Dec. 06, 2024