Current
position: Policy
Analyst,
Canadian
Heritage
Co-op
experience: Data
Analyst,
Periodical
Publishing
Policy,
Canadian
Heritage;
Research
Assistant,
Aboriginal
Affairs
and
Northern
Development
Canada,
Gatineau
Academic
background:
Business
Administration,
Simon
Fraser
University
Why
did
you
choose
Waterloo’s
Master
of
Public
Service
program?
After
deciding
that
I
wanted
a
career
in
the
public
service,
I
began
looking
at
different
graduate-level
programs.
Some
programs
focused
on
international
affairs
and
some
on
policy
development
but
what
I
wanted
was
a
pragmatic,
professional
program
intended
to
help
graduates
enter
and
excel
in
the
public
service.
The
MPS
program
is
what
I
was
looking
for
because
it
balances
academics
and
work
experience
by
having
a
co-op
component.
What
have
you
learned
about
yourself
as
a
result
of
the
MPS
program
and
your
current
career?
The
MPS
program
was
a
fantastic
opportunity
for
me
to
become
more
resilient
and
I
have
surprised
myself
along
the
way.
Balancing
the
demands
of
life
with
academics
can
be
very
challenging
but
with
a
supportive
group
of
friends
from
the
cohort
it’s
entirely
possible
to
smile
through
it.
I
have
also
learned
that
having
broad
and
varied
interests
is
a
good
thing.
Graduate
programs
can
feel
like
you’re
becoming
increasingly
specialized
but
I
think
staying
interested
in
a
lot
of
different
policy
areas
is
beneficial.
The
important
thing
is
to
learn
to
use
the
knowledge
and
skills
you’ve
developed
for
whatever
path
your
career
takes
you.
What
is
the
most
rewarding
part
of
your
job?
The
most
rewarding
part
of
being
a
public
servant
is
being
able
to
tackle
complex
policy
challenges
and
knowing
that
your
work
is
a
contribution
to
the
public
interest.
What
are
your
favourite
MPS
moments?
My
favourite
MPS
moments
were,
oddly
enough,
when
many
of
us
would
stay
at
the
program
space
late
at
night
to
help
each
other
with
the
different
courses
or
to
wrap
up
papers.
Many
of
the
best
laughs
I’d
had
all
year
happened
during
those
nights
and
it
helped
a
lot
to
take
the
pressure
off
of
finishing
assignments.
What
advice
would
you
give
to
someone
who
is
interested
in
the
program?
Don’t
fear
the
finance
classes.
Professor
Sen
does
a
great
job
of
making
the
material
accessible
to
students
with
varying
levels
of
experience
(including
those
who
are
allergic
to
numbers).
Apart
from
that,
I’d
recommend
focusing
on
the
main
concepts
being
presented
in
each
class
and
avoiding
getting
discouraged
by
the
amount
of
work,
particularly
in
the
second
semester.
Just
remember
that
the
academic
portion
of
the
program
is
only
two
semesters
and
push
through.
Think
about
what
you
want
out
of
a
Master’s
degree
and
choose
the
program
that’s
right
for
you.
The
different
public
administration
programs
each
offer
something
unique
and
it’s
best
to
choose
one
that
compliments
your
undergraduate
degree,
and
the
MPS
program
may
do
just
that.
Also,
enjoy
your
time
in
the
program
because
it
will
be
over
before
you
know
it!
