Hello and welcome to my final semester as a Heller student! That sounds so crazy to say… But before we start this semester, I want to reflect on my spring semester. It was a bit of a doozy but it’s over now! While the semester was filled with challenges, I want to highlight a few of my favorite assignments I completed over the semester:
Video blog analysis of the Tiktok ban: Writing is an important skill to have in life, especially when getting your master’s degree. But, even for masters students, it’s nice to switch it up every now and then. So when I learned that one of the assignments for my Social Policy Analysis class was a video blog, I was excited by the opportunity to be a little extra creative. It was a group assignment so I paired up with my friend Afnan who suggested doing an analysis on the evolving Tiktok ban. After whipping up a quick script we sat down and recorded what became known as “Cold Cuts”, your fresh policy talk show covering all the latest policy hot topics. Of course, Cold Cuts was canceled after one episode, but it was definitely fun while it lasted! For all of the incoming policy students, stay tuned for a Cold Cuts rerun in your Social Policy Analysis class.
Community Engagement Brief: As discussed in a previous blog, I had the opportunity to cross register for a course at MIT. Our final assignment for the semester was a design brief for a real organization that needs assistance with community engagement practices. I chose Heller! Given all that’s happened on campus this year and all that will be happening moving forward, I knew creating a design brief on how Heller can better engage students, alumni, and others into future plans would hopefully help the school, but also help me be a better partner in moving Heller forward.
MPP Capstone: My spring semester was largely consumed by my MPP Capstone. The very important paper and presentation were the culmination of my MPP learning journey. I chose to write about gentrification in Washington, D.C. and how housing policy reform can curb displacement as cities continue their development efforts. Being able to pull from not just my MPP curriculum, but also my MBA curriculum was encouraging as a student that isn’t always sure how theory will translate to real world practice. Completing my capstone was not easy! It was full of starts and stops, but with the support of friends, family, peers, and my amazing advisors I produced something I can say I am proud of. If I had to offer advice to incoming students it would be not to limit yourself in your capstone. There are very few opportunities where you’ll be able to choose a topic you’re passionate about and propose policies that may seem out there but are so very needed in today’s society. So take full advantage!
As I said before, the spring semester was quite the ride! But I am always grateful for the opportunity to learn and know that I can and will apply everything I have learned thus far in my Heller journey. Five semesters down, and just three months to go. Time is flying fast, but the journey isn’t over yet! Stay tuned for the final act. ;)