Interested in what our different concentrations have to offer? In this post in our series about CIPA concentrations, we hear from Brettany Tucker. Brettany is a first year CIPA fellow focusing in Economic and Financial Policy. Here in her own words, Brettany reflects on her interest in a pursuing an economics concentration with a public sector lens, her international experience thus far at Cornell, and coursework she has enjoyed as an MPA student.
I decided before enrolling in graduate school that I wanted to further my knowledge of economics, however, this time in the field of public administration. As a rising second-year M.P.A candidate concentrating in Economic and Financial Policy, my degree has allowed me to do just that. Thus far, I have taken courses that include: Systems Thinking in which I was taught to “think about my thinking”; Consulting for Non-Profit organizations, where I am learning the basics of public-sector and non-profit consulting; and Microeconomics of Public Policy, which has deepened my knowledge of the efficiencies and inefficiencies of gubernatorial social services. I am currently enrolled in Public Finance, where I am strengthening my knowledge of the government’s role in the U.S. economy. In this course, I examine real-life government fiscal operations and later apply empirical tools to determine levels of social efficiency. Finally, speaking to my more linguistic and creative side–my latest language endeavor is to learn Urdu, and I am currently enrolled in Urdu Script I.
If one thing is for certain, it’s that Cornell is constantly offering opportunities (both internationally and domestically) to expand your learning outside the classroom. In my case, this past January I had the amazing opportunity, alongside a research team of six members—to travel to Kigali, Rwanda. There, we supported our client Ikirezi (a social enterprise) by conducting market research analysis. Working across five different cities, I engaged 76 Rwandan professionals (of multiple backgrounds) educating them on our client’s organic product line, while identifying local demand. This project strengthened my skill-set arsenal by synthesizing and analyzing the primary qualitative and quantitative research data we collected for our client. The goal: to leverage the local market and outline/identify potential corporate, marketing, and communication frameworks that will increase Ikirezi’s market share. As a social enterprise, these activities continue to fulfill their mission of transforming communities and maximizing profits paid to their farmer employee population—most which are widows and adult orphans. We are currently finalizing a case study that encompasses our analyses for Ikirezi.
Although we are two months short of the end of our first year—time has flown by. I am grateful to Cornell for the unyielding opportunities to hone strong leaders that will one day serve for the greater good and am honored to be a prospective CIPA alumna, for the future is bright!