Hometown
Middleton, WI
Undergraduate education
Bachelor of Arts in international relations and public health, William & Mary, 2021
Professional/research interests
International development and global health
Expected graduation date
May 2026
Why an MIPA?
Working at a nonprofit think tank for a few years in Washington, D.C., conducting academic research as an undergraduate student, and studying abroad in Dakar, Senegal reinforced my interest in international development policy and motivated me to build stronger quantitative analysis skills and pursue further training in the policymaking process. A Master of International Public Affairs degree is a next step in my policy career, equipping me to return to the field as a conscientious consumer and generator of evidence and with practice leading policy analysis for real world clients.
Why the La Follette School?
The La Follette School strikes a rare balance as a small program housed at a large, well-resourced public university in a capital city. LFS creates a small cohort of students with a low teacher-to-student ratio. Close relationships and opportunities to work with professors were extremely valuable during my undergraduate career at a small liberal arts college, and LFS makes this possible for graduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Whether through employer visits, client projects, or other opportunities, LFS also takes advantage of its location down the street from the state capitol and gives students exposure to the inner workings of the policymaking process in a purple state–a fascinating setting in which to study policy.
As a graduate student, I also appreciate studying at a large Research 1 school with dozens of departments and more than 10,000 graduate students in total. There are countless opportunities to take relevant classes in other subject areas, get involved with research happening across campus, and meet students from other disciplines.
How have your La Follette School courses set you on the path to meeting your career goals?
LFS has bolstered my analytical toolkit and provided invaluable professional experiences to advance my policy career. Course assignments are designed to give students practice with evidence-driven research and concise memo writing. Client-based projects provide relevant professional experience, enabling students to apply concepts and skills taught in the classroom to real world problems. LFS also invests in students’ professional development from the start, including through a workshop class during the first semester, 1:1 meetings with LFS staff, employer visits and networking events, and support with identifying and securing internships and jobs.
Advice for prospective La Follette School students
I encourage prospective La Follette School students to reach out to current students to hear more about their experience and consider how this program may fit with their professional and personal goals.
Before the La Follette School
Before attending the La Follette School, I worked in Washington, D.C. for three years with the Global Health Policy Program at the Center for Global Development – an economics-based think tank focused on improving development outcomes in lower-income countries. As an undergraduate student, I researched exploitative fishing in the Gulf of Guinea as a Research Fellow with William & Mary’s undergraduate think tank, the Project on International Peace and Security. I also led a study on the effectiveness of COVID-19 lockdown policies across countries of different income levels with William & Mary’s Global Research Institute and interned with Operation Smile (Virginia Beach, VA) and the Global Research and Advocacy Group (Dakar, Senegal), a public health research organization.
Interested in studying at the La Follette School?