--- title: Combating Climate Change with My Concentration in Environmental Policy description: The CIPA program offered a more diverse and extensive number of courses which would enable me to be more prepared and well-rounded than other top programs. image: https://mpastories.publicpolicy.cornell.edu/hubfs/blog/authors/Combating%20Climate%20Change%20with%20My%20Concentration%20in%20Environmental%20Policy.jpg --- Search: May 15, 2019 # Combating Climate Change with My Concentration in Environmental Policy ![Combating Climate Change with My Concentration in Environmental Policy-image](https://mpastories.publicpolicy.cornell.edu/hubfs/blog/authors/Combating%20Climate%20Change%20with%20My%20Concentration%20in%20Environmental%20Policy.jpg) Katie Egan is currently pursuing a concentration in Environmental Policy at the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs. We had the opportunity to talk with her and ask her a few questions about getting an MPA at Cornell University! Here's what she had to say about why she chose CIPA, why she's interested in policy-making related to the environment, and how Cornell exceeded her expectations. ### [![Wondering how Cornell's MPA program with make you marketable upon graduation? Explore our new, FREE resource: Uncovering the Real Value of Cornell University's MPA Degree!](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/4638968/4d1f2cc3-845e-4b4c-a5cf-4941929153ff.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/4638968/4d1f2cc3-845e-4b4c-a5cf-4941929153ff) ### What was your background before coming to CIPA? I graduated from the University of Notre Dame in May 2017. I received a bachelor’s degree in honors anthropology and also studied pre-health. Throughout college, I worked on the opioid crisis for several years at a county jail and in a District Attorney’s office. ## ![Katie Egan](https://mpastories.publicpolicy.cornell.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/blog/authors/Katie%20Egan.png?width=300&name=Katie%20Egan.png)Briefly explain why you chose to pursue an MPA program and CIPA in particular? Ever since I first studied environmental science in high school I found it fascinating. As a pre-medical undergraduate student, I was drawn to many medical anthropology courses in which I chose to focus my research on environmental health. Although I had been preparing for a different path, **the urgency of climate change seemed too pressing to ignore.** During my senior year, I decided to take the plunge and apply to public policy and public administration programs with the goal of pursuing a career in environmental policy. When I was comparing my options of public administration/public policy programs, CIPA stood out due to its flexible curriculum and extensive extracurricular programs. The CIPA program offered a more diverse and extensive number of courses which would enable me to be more prepared and well-rounded than other top programs. ### How has CIPA met and/or exceeded your academic and professional expectations?  CIPA has definitely far exceeded both my academic and professional expectations. I never would have expected I would travel to both Nepal for research and Dubai to compete in the World Government Summit’s University Challenge in my first year at CIPA. I also wasn’t expecting the ample opportunities to work with members of the Ithaca community. I have worked with the community both on drug education for high school students and with the Tompkins County EMS Task Force. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities CIPA has provided me. **These opportunities have also allowed me to connect with the community** I have decided to call home for two years. ### What was the most pleasant surprise about your first year at Cornell? I chose CIPA because I was excited about the accessibility of Cornell University resources outside the public administration program. However, I definitely was not prepared for the magnitude of accessibility of other departments and professors. Cornell has immense opportunities and I have spoken with multiple professors in other departments that have emphasized the spirit of **cross-departmental collaboration**. Outside of the public administration program this past year, I traveled to Nepal with anthropology professors, collaborated on a project with science and engineering professors, attended a weekly engineering graduate student seminar on renewable energy, took a business class, and auditioned for and performed in The Vagina Monologues with undergraduate students. As a new student, this culture of collaboration has been extremely noticeable. I never thought there was a lack of collaboration at my previous institution, until** I experienced true collaboration at Cornell.** ## Tell us about your internship. I am currently working for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts **as a Sustainability and Environmental Health Intern.** When I entered CIPA, I was interested in working in environmental policy within the public sector. However, a class on Corporate Responsibility during my first semester opened my eyes to the exciting changes in the sustainability arena in both the private and non-profit sectors. I decided to pursue an internship in corporate responsibility in order to determine if I want to pursue this path following graduation. So far I have been extremely excited by the job and by the skills I have been able to utilize from so many of my first year CIPA courses. ### When people ask you to describe your experience at CIPA/Cornell, what do you tell them? It is honestly difficult to explain how rewarding my experience at CIPA has been so far and how grateful I am for the skills I have acquired, people I have met, and opportunities I have been provided. I loved my undergraduate institution and never would have imagined I would feel so connected to and proud of my graduate school. In one year, I have experienced incredible growth in my academic and professional life. **Choosing CIPA is one of the best decisions I have ever made.** *If you have questions about attending Cornell University's Institute for Public Affairs, we encourage you to [request more information](https://mpa.human.cornell.edu/request-more-information) today! * ## Download our digital resource — **The Real Value of Cornell University's MPA Degree **—to learn about the real, measurable value of Cornell University's Master of Public Administration degree. [![Download Value of Cornell's MPA ](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/4638968/378ffa62-37f2-49c3-86a4-4ffdc82d3975.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/4638968/378ffa62-37f2-49c3-86a4-4ffdc82d3975) Previous Post Pursuing a Passion for Human Rights & Social Justice at Cornell University Next Post 8 Ways Cornell Exceeded My Expectations as an MPA Student ## READ MORE ON THE BLOG [VIEW ALL BLOGS](https://mpastories.publicpolicy.cornell.edu/blog) BLOG ### Reflections on My First Year: How I Knew Cornell's MPA Was Right for Me *Sarah Cartagena is a second-year CIPA student who is concentrating her studies on Human Rights and...* BLOG ### Why I Chose Cornell's Master of Public Administration Program — Molly's Story *Molly Warrington graduated from Cornell's MPA program in May of 2018 as an Infrastructure Project...* BLOG ### Using My Cornell MPA to Strengthen the Arts Community *Ben Sandberg graduated from CIPA in May of 2017 with a concentration in Public and Non-profit...* ## Subscribe to the Blog ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Katie Egan", "url" : "https://mpastories.publicpolicy.cornell.edu/blog/author/katie-egan" }, "dateModified" : "2019-12-11T18:12:03.882Z", "datePublished" : "2019-05-15T17:57:34.000Z", "headline" : "Combating Climate Change with My Concentration in Environmental Policy", "image" : [ "https://mpastories.publicpolicy.cornell.edu/hubfs/blog/authors/Combating%20Climate%20Change%20with%20My%20Concentration%20in%20Environmental%20Policy.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://mpastories.publicpolicy.cornell.edu/blog/combating-climate-change-with-my-concentration-in-environmental-policy", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://mpastories.publicpolicy.cornell.edu/hubfs/Logos/SPP_1_line_red_black.png" }, "name" : "Cornell Inst. for Public Affairs" } } ```