What brought you to Heller?
While working for Senator Ed Markey, I was doing health related constituent services and health policy research and recognized that to further my career and capabilities, I needed to gain policy analysis skills, specifically in U.S. health care policy and health equity. I saw Heller as an opportunity to get experience evaluating and crafting policy options and enhancing my research skills. I also thought Heller stood out because of its focus on addressing health disparities and promoting health equity.
How did you end up in your current role?
During my time at Heller, I worked for Professor Mike Doonan on the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, which was a great opportunity to get a sense of other health agencies in the state and what the legislature's role is in health policy. This became a jumping-off point for me to become familiar with the Massachusetts Health Connector, the state’s ACA exchange. I ended up getting hired there as a policy analyst in 2019. It’s a perfect fit because my job is focused on ACA policy in the Massachusetts context, which was my primary area of interest at Heller and something I love doing. I later became a senior policy analyst, and now my title is Associate Director of Policy at the Health Connector.
Describe the Heller community.
I love my Heller friends so much. The community is super tight knit and supportive. It’s also really nice to work with Heller people outside of the MPP, like at the Health Connector, where I have worked with several Heller alums. It’s great to have that built-in connection. The community is very thoughtful and passionate about social justice and equity issues—they aren’t afraid to ask the hard questions, which makes for an impactful learning environment and results in good policy.
What advice do you have for current Heller students?
Lean into the opportunity to spend time on yourself and to broaden your horizons. There's just so much to learn from your peers, the faculty and staff, especially about other topic areas you may not have known you were interested in. I learned a lot from my Heller friends about other areas of social policy that I may not have explored otherwise but everything in social policy is related so it’s great to get that well rounded experience with peers. Grad school is such a unique time to give yourself space to grow and gain new perspectives and sets of skills. Keep an open mind about the possibilities and what you want to do next.
What is your advice for prospective Heller students?
Before deciding on Heller, I sat in on a class, which I highly recommend doing. I remember the material was so interesting and the students were all very engaged with each other and the professor. This was incredibly helpful for making my decision. Heller is a really special and unique place, especially for people who want to focus on domestic social policy. The expertise across the Heller community is invaluable. You get to take classes with and learn from faculty members who have such a major role in advancing social justice through the policy work they're doing. It’s incredible to see up close and an opportunity you might not have in a different institution or program.