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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 today!