Hometown
Rockford, IL
Undergraduate education
Bachelor’s degree in political science/nonprofit and NGO studies, Northern Illinois University
Employer
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Job Title
Analyst
Start Date
January 2023
Primary job responsibilities
As a GAO analyst, I help conduct independent, nonpartisan research to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the federal government. To do this work, I collaboratively complete background research, collect and analyze a wide range of evidence, and draft publicly available reports.
How do you use what you learned at La Follette on the job?
My entire career was shaped by my experience at La Follette. During the public management course, we completed a project based on a GAO publication. That was the first time I heard about the agency. As I learned about GAO, I realized that its mission aligned with my passion for public service and, as an analyst, I could directly apply the skills I was developing at the La Follette School.
Today I use many of the skills that I developed at La Follette. For example, I draw on my statistics experience to help design and implement research methodologies involving quantitative data. I rely on what I learned across multidisciplinary coursework to approach problems from a variety of perspectives. Additionally, the combination of my project assistantship, classes, and internships helped me to get a better sense of the complex government processes and practices I now review.
Project assistantships while at La Follette
I completed a La Follette project assistantship assisting Dr. Yackee with public management research. This honed my basic research skills and helped me become better acquainted with key government resources such as the Federal Register. I also completed two internships, one doing constituent services at the State Senate and one as a community college data analyst.
Most rewarding experience at the La Follette School
Without a doubt, my most rewarding experience was completing and publishing a capstone paper examining municipal citation disparities in Madison. After analyzing a blend of quantitative data and interviews, my capstone group was able to make several recommendations to the city attorney’s office. The report was hard—but good—work. It challenged us to use the full range of skills and expertise that we had developed over our time at La Follette.
Favorite Madison restaurant?
The downside of living away from Madison is that I miss the amazing food scene! Whether it was breakfast sandwiches at Bagels Forever, lunchtime burgers at The Terrace, or dinner at Ha Long Bay, there was always something great to get with friends and family.