The Master’s in Public Administration Program Graduation is the culmination of two years of diligent efforts. Through the support of instructors, peers, family and friends, these individuals have evolved from students to graduates. Click the play buttons below to hear each of the graduate speeches.
Our first of the three graduate speakers, Todd Stephenson, emphasized the importance of local government. Todd says, “The beauty of local government is that instead of being at faraway places making up policy in Washington, we get to be here on the ground making eye contact with the people that need help the most.”
Our second graduate speaker, Sarah Oddie, reflected on the program and all of the lesson’s they’ve learned over the course of the last two years. One of Sarah’s most important lessons was that government often functions to help the public when they are in need, but we should strive to make it proactive in creating partnerships and policies with the public. She says, “While it is a challenge, it is not a challenge that we should shy away from.”
Estial Lett, our final graduate speaker, described her first week as a probation officer, interviewing a convicted murder named, John Doe. Estial says, “I silently listened to John Doe’s story and all I could think was ‘we failed him,’ and when I say we… I mean us as a society.” She highlights how at its core, public administration is about community, and as members of community we should all go out into the world and prevent circumstances like those of John Doe from occurring.
For more information about the MPA Program, click here!
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