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My name is Sean Norris and I am a second year Master of Public Policy student. I began my academic career at the University of Illinois where I majored in Global Studies and German. My studies gravitated towards policy issues around the globe, especially in regards to environmental issues. In my final year of undergrad, I decided to pursue a Master of Public Policy degree. This then led me to the School of Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona. I chose the MPP program because of its world class professors and class accessibility for working professionals. Having a number of courses in the evenings made it easy to work and pursue a master’s degree which was very important to me. It also has a rigorous curriculum in policy analysis which is vital to anyone who wants to work in the policy field. 

 I am currently a Graduate Teaching Assistant for SBS200, which has been a very valuable experience for my academic career. This course is an introductory statistics course, and it is very nice to see the research skills I have learned in the MPP program go towards helping undergraduate students. In the Summer between my first and second year in the MPP program, I got the opportunity to work as a Management and Program Analyst with the United States Department of Energy in their Pathways Program. This opportunity really helped me to tie together my skills learned in the Master of Public Policy program with real-world experience in Washington D.C. 

The MPP program has helped me to realize my passion for finding evidence-based policy solutions and opened my mind up to working in different roles in government. After my graduation in May, I hope to work at the State or Local level of Government to help create positive change for communities that I am passionate about. Wherever my career takes me, I know that the MPP program has set me up for professional success.