Emmanuel Dowuona

Current position: Senior Policy Advisor, Indigenous Advanced Education & Skills Control
Co-op experience: Junior Policy Analyst, ON Ministry of Education
Academic background: ​Law and Justice, ​Algoma University

Why did you choose Waterloo's Master of Public Service Program?

I chose MPS because the opportunity to work and gain experience from Co-op was one that I just could not pass up. It took four years for me to come to realize that having great academics are not enough. Hands-on work experience brings value and dimension to my portfolio, and will help kick-start my career.

Why do you want to work in the public service?

I became very familiar with Canadian government, and politics during my undergrad. I enjoy the dynamics of politics and knowing decisions made by government has a direct influence on the lives of Canadians. For me the public service represents an opportunity to help build a better Ontario, and a better Canada. I am very patriotic!

What is your dream public service career?

I would love to work as a senior policy advisor for a political party of my choosing. To have the opportunity to help formulate and debate a party’s platform, and seeing said platform translate into white papers and policy proposals is what I would call a successful career.

What was it like to be a Waterloo MPS student?

Being an MPSer is challenging because you are constantly learning something new in such a short span of time but there is always help whenever you need it from either Sheila, faculty, or fellow MPSers.

What are your favourite MPS moments?

Games Night!

Where are your favourite MPS spots?

The lunchroom is always a great place to catch up with other MPSers about the woes of the semester. It also has keurig machine, and pool table that morphs into a foosball table! The lunchroom is also where all great weekend plans are brought into existence. So yeah, the lunchroom is definitely my favorite spot.

What did you learn about yourself?

My statistical analysis skills far surpass what I assumed they were prior to starting MPS. Thank you Prof. Sen.

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in the program?

What you get from your time at MPS is dependent on how much effort you decide to put in. 

What other wisdom do you wish to impart onto others?

These are not my words, nonetheless great words to live by. "There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing." -Aristotle