Students in our Master of Public Policy (MPP) program often go on to careers as leaders, analysts and managers at various levels of government, nonprofits and corporations – both domestically and internationally. MPP students want to make big change in the world!
(Part 2 of 2) My biggest hope is Energy Week 2023 goes off without a hitch. I’m grateful to co-lead the project along with Carley Tucker, an MEM/MBA student. We've got undergrads, folks in the Nicholas School, fellow Sanford students. Seeing the team buy into the vision Carley and I Read more
(Part 1 of 2) Growing up in Wyoming gave me an immediate appreciation for nature. Living in a log cabin 70 miles from the nearest stop light, seeing bears in the summer, having our idea of a traffic jam be buffalo crossing, it was a special place. It made me Read more
When I was three years old, I was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Most medical professionals told my parents that I would never have a life of independence or anything remotely close to what I have now. Back in the early 2000s, there wasn't a lot of knowledge about what Read more
Since I was little, I was just a happy-go-lucky kid. Seeing people hurt or in pain, even if it's just on the playground, always bothered me and I kind of wore that with people and wanted to help them. I got involved in church when I was in junior high, Read more
A lot of people are surprised to learn that many clubs advertised primarily to undergrads are open to grad students. I am really happy to be involved in the Duke Chorale – as an MPP student! I'm blessed to have a musical family. Growing up my parents would have different Read more
Growing up in a conflict zone, (Indian-Administered Kashmir) had a profound impact on the way I view the world and my perspective on life. In 2018, my work led me to #Afghanistan, where I contributed to developing educational reforms and fostering inclusive communities. During my time there, I had the Read more
I went to West Point and commissioned as an U.S. Army officer in 2012. Sanford was my first break from the Army world, and I loved every moment of being at Sanford. I’m patriotic, which is the main reason why I joined the Army. My grandpa was in the Navy Read more
“As a kid, I always wanted to be president. But my real political awakening was the Trayvon Martin case. I‘ll never forget, me, my twin brother, and this guy I consider my brother were in the basement watching the verdict; it came back, [and we were] stunned. That was Read more
Both of my parents were just really good whistlers growing up. They would always be whistling around the house. And then my dad, at some point got these two pet cockatiels; little ones with the orange cheeks and little crowns that go up. And they would listen to my parents Read more
“Inequality at the international level was visible to me early in life. I grew up in Singapore. It’s a unique country, considered a beacon in Southeast Asia because it’s a rapidly developed country surrounded by countries experiencing significant poverty and much slower development. Also, several generations of my family chose Read more
Everyone says it’s hard to teach middle schoolers, but something about meeting the challenge and opportunity of their constant state of “figuring-it-out” pulled me right in. After graduating from Harvard in 2014, I joined Teach for America and spent three years teaching middle school math and science in and around Read more
“As a high school freshman, my life plan was: go to Duke, have a good time, watch good basketball, probably become a lawyer. I was always curious about the military because my grandfather served in World War 2 with the Tuskegee Airmen, but I didn’t heavily consider it until I Read more
In the spirit of Carnival season: “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” ⚜️ ⚜️ I’m from Mobile, Alabama, the birthplace of Mardi Gras. I grew up going to parades and watching my parents prepare for the ball of the week. The season was filled with family gatherings and parties. Extended family Read more
I grew up in Northern California, which has been hit by wildfires pretty hard recently, but it was kind of a cyclical thing growing up. Every summer was fire season. We grew up knowing how to evacuate and had to evacuate every year basically. Through climate change, we've seen these Read more
My career goal is to make sure that people are ok; my purpose is to focus on marginalized communities to improve the lived experience. I am a native North Carolinian from Charlotte. I grew up in what society would term as the ‘ghetto’ – a marginalized community, a Black niche Read more
I was born to a conservative Muslim family in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh. My father dropped out of college and started a hardware and paints business to make ends meet, and my mother never put her college education to use and settled to be a stay-at-home parent instead due to societal Read more
Musicians are creative, but they don’t have business training, so I gave them the tools to grow their communities. I started in sales planning and analysis, because I was good at negotiating and licensing band and brand partnerships. (Everyone likes free clothes, right?) I’d negotiate getting a band’s song in Read more
For me, there is not much difference between domestic and international policies. As a matter of fact, that is one conclusion I reached during this past summer while participating in the Humanitarian Track of the Geneva Program with Duke. It was a week of intensive learning, modules, role-playing, and networking. Read more
About 17 years ago, my cousin came out as gay. I didn’t understand why family members were so emotional and serious about it. That’s when I discovered homophobia. Stirred to frustration because it seemed so illogical that anyone cared who someone else loved, I subsequently advocated for acceptance in a Read more
I never understood coming out – it’s like stepping into a spotlight so people can put me in a box. I call myself queer, but I don’t care for labels. By coming out as a certain label, I feel we have to restrict ourselves to connecting with people under that Read more