Are you in the process of making your decision about which graduate school to attend? Deciding which program offers the best fit for you is an admittedly difficult decision, and can be a life-changing one. If you’re like me, you may feel as if you are inundated with information as you mull over costs, future career goals, and priorities for what you hope to gain from your public policy degree. Let me see if I can help you simplify this process.
Christine Barker is a second-year CIPA student, with an MPA concentration in Social Policy. She just completed a twelve-month term as the president of the Cornell Public Affairs Society (CPAS), CIPA’s student organization. Originally from Fresno, located in the middle of California’s San Joaquin Valley, she completed her BA in International Students (Political Science) at Whitworth University in Spokane, WA. (more…)
Are you interested in pursuing degrees in Law, Business, Health, or Engineering in parallel with Public Administration? CIPA’s MPA degree can be completed in conjunction with a variety of other programs at Cornell. Here, we will answer some of the most frequently asked questions about these combined degree programs. (more…)
One of the many perks of being a CIPA student is that from time to time, alums return to share their expertise with current students. Just a couple weeks ago, we welcomed CIPA graduate Garance Choko ‘12 back to campus. She led a roundtable discussion about her experiences before, after and during her time at CIPA. After the discussion, she agreed to sit down with me for short interview.
Enjoy!
Biography:
Garance is an entrepreneur, international system builder and behavioral innovation strategist currently residing in New York City. Born and raised in Paris, France, she started her career as a concert pianist at the age of 3. Later, when she moved to the United States to continue her performance studies, she fell in love with political theory and design practices. She has designed organizational structures, educational programs, impact evaluations and adaptive strategies for organizations in Europe, the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. She earned a Master of Public Administration from Cornell University.
Garance’s philosophy is rooted in challenging the notion of institutionalized expertise and its deriving power structures. She has used participatory design principles in her work with the US Congress, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Clinton Global Initiative, and The Rules and The Lowline. As a speaker and educator, she has taught her unique framework for cross-cultural problem solving at the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University.
Can you talk a little about your background as a concert pianist and your transition to your current role as an entrepreneur?
I started my career in piano performance at age three. Music has been the medium that has opened many doors for me. I got to meet a lot of people from many different cultures and I was able to travel all over Europe and the Caribbean. Music allows people from many different backgrounds to come together around a shared interest and passion. It is also a combination of extreme discipline, creativity and aesthetics. So I’ve always used music as a tool for communication and reflection. My experience as a musician allowed me to recreate similar atmospheres and spaces in the innovation industry via design thinking.
I’ve always been fascinated by art and diplomacy — How people can transcend political and cultural differences in order to build together. This is why public policy was natural for me. I realized that already established large organizations were too institutionalized to make an authentic difference in the world. So, Design thinking and innovation were a way for me to combine my two passions: creativity and policymaking.
How would you describe design thinking?
It is a problem solving process. It’s been used in architecture and design in general for a while. Design thinking has amazing potential to solve social and economic problems. At the core, it is a way for diverse stake holders to come together at a table, come to a shared understanding, and problem solve together. It mitigates the following questions: How are you able to derive information from very different people? How do you ensure they are able to understand each other? And what is the best way to co-build solutions to very complex problems? The key is having good facilitators in order to ensure that all participants are comfortable and engaged equally. Design thinking is an equalizer that goes beyond traditional brainstorming. It is a way of quickly designing solutions and prototyping. The process demands that you test your ideas right away. For example, if you decide to create a new curriculum, its first iteration will be created on the spot and tested right away through user-testing in order to get feedback and then iterate once more.
Can you further describe your current position right now?
I have three main activities: First, I am an entrepreneur building a new venture, Innovators Without Borders, which encompasses global communities of innovators in the global south. Next, I am a thought leader in the field of participatory design, innovation and systems building. I share my knowledge and ideas by speaking at conferences, doing a lot of writing and leading workshops. Lastly, I am a practitioner and partner with many different organizations who are devoted to using participatory design as a mean to achieve social and economic impact. I am currently collaborating with the Rapid Results Institute on a project in Brownsville, Brooklyn. The goal of this project is to create and/or find employment avenues for 5,000 Brownsville residents. It’s really exciting to partner with organizations that believe in, and will benefit from, community centered design and design thinking.
Prior to this, I used to have a leadership role in an NYC innovation firm, but my passion truly lies in using social innovation and design thinking for social and economic ends, so I decided to embrace my new goals and embark on this adventure.
Can you describe human centered design and participation design/design thinking a bit further?
Human centered design is a component of design thinking. As designers, we create products aiming to respond to human needs. So we need the end users to be involved at each step of the design process since they are the ones who are the best positioned to express and define what they need.
What piqued your interest in these issues and in your new and innovative methods of solving them?
As a woman of color, and as an individual who has navigated many different socio-economic spaces, I’ve witnessed the failure of public policies and programs. So I have always been curious to understand the root cause of these failures, and the potential solutions to avoid such inefficiency and inadequacy. After understanding the policymaking process, I committed myself to never perpetuate the inefficient status quo, but rather, to find alternatives. I have drawn from my personal experiences, as well as my graduate studies at CIPA to understand the system and now, I am well-equipped to challenge it.
This is why I wanted to come to CIPA. If you are passionate about leadership and social change, you need to come up with new methods, rather than blindly reproducing what is. When I was at CIPA, I was active in many student-led organizations. This was a way for me to experience leadership and social change within a more or less safe environment, and I encourage current CIPA students to do the same.
What advice would you give to a current CIPA student interested in working in nonprofit consulting?
The most important thing for a CIPA student now is to avoid staying confined within the technical aspect of public policy. Public systems modeling and statistics can only take you so far, and if you don’t understand the greater context in terms of systemic issues and their roots, you will limit yourself and your impact. Established institutions are not looking for more bureaucrats, they are looking for problem solvers. So CIPA students should take advantage of Cornell’s other schools and take theory classes, or classes in fields in which they have little prior knowledge. The goal is to broaden your horizon and really fulfill your intellectual curiosity. I also recommend gaining firsthand experience through internships and leadership activities. It is also very important to get out of Ithaca and go to N.Y.C. Don’t follow everyone and go to D.C. It is too expected, everyone goes there, it is saturated and it’s not an innovative space. You should go to San Francisco, go to Atlanta, Austin, and Baltimore, go where policy students do not usually go so that you can understand how you are relevant; so you can really apply and refine your craft in order to master it and build your own voice. If you can, travel internationally. Change is being sought in more decentralized places. Do NOT limit yourself to going to D.C.
Also, look at different fields. A career in Public policy should not be limited to becoming a bureaucrat; it is about thinking the world. Look at startups, social innovation and activism. Don’t limit yourself to the government and the public sector. It is so competitive to get even a minor position. You need to find a space in which you can apply your skills to straight away.
What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing entrepreneurship?
My first advice is that you have a genuine belief and confidence in the idea you are trying to develop. This is the most important thing. If you don’t believe in yourself and what you are trying to do, it will not work out. Also, be sure about your concept and what you are trying to solve for, but be flexible about the process and know that your idea is going to evolve over time.
Also, let’s be honest, if you don’t have a good financial runway, you are not going to survive – which is why few women and minorities are represented in the entrepreneurial space. You need to have access to resources. Otherwise, you can develop your startup on the side while continuing your full time job. Finally, once you have the resources, it is easier to do than what people may think. Partner with people who have the skill set that you do not have. For me, I have no tech background, so I am partnering with those who do. Know what you don’t know and recruit adequately. As an entrepreneur, you must develop your voice and your thinking.
Brief Background
I’m originally from Hamilton, Ohio, a relatively small town right outside of Cincinnati. Before Cornell, I studied at Ohio State University where I obtained my degree in Linguistics. During my time at Ohio State, I was deeply involved with community service as well as various educational initiatives. I worked with an AmeriCorps program that developed educational curriculum for at-risk youth. Beyond that, I’ve participated in service trips around the country, ranging from Hurricane Sandy relief work in New York, to collaborating with individuals living with disabilities in Missouri. This past summer, I worked with the Department of Economic Development in my hometown, working on infrastructure initiatives that would expand the economic potential of the city. Here at Cornell, I am a student blogger, where I will be sharing my experiences with the program as well as tips I learn along the way for maximizing my time in Ithaca as a student.
Why did you chose to pursue an MPA degree at Cornell-CIPA?
I chose CIPA for a multitude of reasons. The flexibility of the program was one major reason I chose CIPA. I like that I can tailor my studies to fit exactly the sort of career I am interested in pursuing. I was excited to have the opportunity to be in a place where I would be surrounded by high achieving people who have great aspirations. I am able to learn from my peers and become inspired to do bigger and better things. The faculty and staff played into my decision as well, they have pushed my knowledge and learning further than I could have imagined. It didn’t hurt that during my application process, the CIPA faculty and staff were very intent on making sure that I felt embraced as well as guided through each step.
What experiences prepared you to attend CIPA?
I would definitely say working for AmeriCorps and working in my hometown for The Department of Economic Development. Both experiences fostered a passion in me for finding new ways and strategies to use policy to make a difference. This allowed me to develop a passion for the community and a desire to give back. This translates to public policy because it is the most pragmatic way to initiate change. You need economic strategies to bring about growth within low achieving areas among poor communities. I’ve also had plenty of experiences that don’t directly translate to what I want to do when I leave CIPA. My experience went from educational initiative in the inner city, to international affairs conflict and issues. How do these connect? I first learned to understand issues on a small-scale, local level, and then on a much larger-scale, international level. Economic policy is the backbone of our country. I feel like it is a platform to tackle pressing issues, whether it is an achievement gap, hunger, or education. If you find ways to tackle issues economically, you may find ways to actually solve the issues… possibly permanently.
What kind of work do you want to do when you graduate and why?
Neither of my parents graduated from high school. I grew up poor. I was the first in my family to go to college… all of this motivated me. You can chase the money and become a lawyer or a doctor, or you can give back. You can go full circle and come back to where you came from and contribute… truly give back.
I want to go into economic and financial policy, which I hope leads to a career in international trade initiatives. When I first entered college to study for my undergraduate degree, I majored in English, and then I wanted to be a lawyer, but then I became interested in policy. When you gain a broader perspective, you develop a passion for that arena- a passion to give back. I want to work in international affairs because growing up poor in America gives you a perspective on the rest of the world… whom the majority of live on under two dollars a day. My experiences have shaped my perspective and the future I would like to pursue.
What do you think of your experience at CIPA so far?
My experience here has transcended my expectations. It has been a great experience so far. You learn more than you ever thought you would and push yourself just as far. You forge friendships and relationships with people quickly, many of which will likely last a lifetime. It’s a great intellectual community, and place of great natural beauty. So, in addition to the people you meet and the classroom setting, it’s really quite inspirational!
What advice would you give to someone considering applying to CIPA?
You learn a lot, the academics are rigorous, you are forced to work harder, and there is a potential reward. There exists a constant feeling of conflicting concerns… “Will it pay off? Or will it be all for nothing?” You feel like you are one of the selected few to study here, but there are a lot of factors. It’s gorgeous here, but you don’t have time to enjoy it… You feel grateful, but you also feel a large amount of pressure. So, in short: Keep the grades up. Become as involved in the community as you can. Find something you are truly passionate about.