Friday, November 15, 2013
Story
and
photography
by
Kayla
McKinnon,
Class
of
2012
On
Friday,
November
8th
almost
one
hundred
current
students
and
alumni
gathered
in
the
Music
Room
of
the
University
of
Toronto’s
Hart
House
for
the
annual
MPS
Mixer.
“Seeing
the
sheer
number
of
students
in
attendance
makes
me
feel
proud
to
see
what
the
program
has
become,”
says
alumnus
Stefanie
Lake
(MPS
’12
pictured
right).
After
two
and
a
half
years
working
in
the
Ontario
government,
Lake
has
observed
the
positive
effects
of
networking
with
your
peers,
classmates
and
mentors.
“Although
MPS
students
work
across
different
levels
of
government,
the
everyday
challenges
they
face
are
the
same.
The
more
people
you
know,
the
more
brains
you
have
to
pick!”
Surrounded
by
modern
artwork
and
beautiful
architecture,
students
from
the
various
program
cohorts
reconnected
with
classmates,
networked
with
alumni
and
shared
a
toast
to
the
program’s
success
over
the
last
three
years.
“Now in its fourth year, the MPS program has a record of strong, positive performance,” says MPS Program Director, Dr. Henstra (pictured above with Class of 2015 students). “More than 75 percent of graduates have found relevant, full-time employment, and all students who began the program in 2012 have secured good co-op jobs.
MPSers are working in four provinces, at every level of government, as well as in the private and non-profit sectors. This is truly something to celebrate.”
For
current
students,
the
opportunity
to
network
with
others
who
have
navigated
the
co-op
process
is
an
essential
step
in
preparing
for
the
next
few
months,
which
include
co-op
interviews.
“Hearing
all
the
co-op
success
stories
[from
current
students
and
alumni]
is
both
informative
and
a
confidence
booster
given
the
competitive
nature
of
the
program,”
said
Emmanuel
Dowuona,
a
current
student
and
Vice
President
of
the
Master
of
Public
Service
Association.
“I
was
even
given
a
few
business
cards
in
case
I
have
any
future
questions.”
MPS
graduates
are
eager
to
stay
connected
to
the
program,
and
continue
to
be
impressed
by
its
growth
over
the
years.
Alana
Del
Greco
(MPS
’13)
also
sees
the
importance
of
events
like
the
mixer
in
the
future.
“These
events
provide
an
excellent
opportunity
to
catch
up,
share
experiences
and
bridge
cohorts,”
says
Del
Greco.
One
way
to
continue
the
tradition
of
multi-cohort
networking
is
the
proposed
establishment
of
an
MPS
Alumni
Association.
“Keeping
all
of
us
connected
is
just
one
of
the
things
we
hope
to
achieve
with
the
MPS
Alumni
Association…details
coming
soon!”
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