Abby Despres, MBA/MPP’24, began her graduate program at Heller immediately after completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Maine, where she majored in political science. She decided to pursue dual master’s degrees in public policy and business administration to learn the research-based, analytical approach to solving problems related to her primary area of interest, environmental justice.
Focusing on a Hometown Issue
The Heller MPP program allowed Abby to focus on social policy through the lenses of climate change and inequality, issues she felt connected to through experiences in her own community in rural Maine. Paper mills, a major component of the state’s economy, were significantly impacted by a slate of water quality reforms that took place in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The policy initiative was intended to stop the pollution of chemicals that were released from the mills into the rivers on which they were situated. While beneficial to the environment, the policy change resulted in many residents losing their jobs and mill towns being forced to navigate a completely transformed economic landscape.
Abby, who grew up adjacent to mill towns, understood that there was a conflict between this environmental policy and the real world needs and consequences of implementing it. “After seeing the repercussions of this policy firsthand, I knew I wanted to focus on addressing the climate crisis while also balancing real-time social and economic needs to make sure that transitions like this happen in an equitable way.”
The Tools to Make Sustainability a Reality
After exposure to environmental coursework during her undergraduate career, Abby’s interests broadened as she continued her studies at Heller, ultimately leading her to a career in the renewable energy industry. Today, she focuses on community-based solar microgrid development as a program manager at Clean Energy Solutions. “I think that environmental justice is tailored towards creating symbiosis between the natural world and the world that we’ve created through human processes.” Abby has leveraged her expertise to conduct policy analysis, consult on energy solutions, and advise on solar microgrid projects.
“The pursuit of a master of public policy degree is twofold. First, you gain an understanding of how to look at the world in a systemic way and see where interventions into those systemic processes might be. Second, you learn the tools necessary to perform those interventions—the analysis, research methods, communication skills, and even the ability to network. I learned both at Heller.”
Advice for Current Students
Don’t be afraid to lean on your peers. “Graduate degree programs can be isolating—it’s easy to get siloed. Make an effort to help yourself academically through study groups, not only for academic reasons, but also to receive the support that you need as a collective to move through this journey that you’re all going on together.”
Advice for Prospective Students
Consider the type of community you’re looking for. “I always cared about these environmental issues and wanted to work on them, but I don’t think that I would be the social justice practitioner that I am now without having gone to Heller. The influence of my professors was so profound and the cohort that I participated in was inspiring. Heller gathers a strong community of like-minded individuals who are passionate about social justice in a way that I haven’t experienced anywhere else.”