When Emily McGraw joined the Learn Charter School Network in Chicago in January 2020, she had no idea how important her M.P.H. degree would prove to be. Before coming to Cornell, she has been a school principal in New York City, and now as Director of Curriculum and Instruction, she was hired to create curricular plans for K-8 schools across ten campuses and “coach school leaders to implement instruction” for over 4,000 students.

By March, everything changed. With schools shut down due to COVID-19, McGraw’s team was concerned about families who relied on them not only for education, but also for food. “All of our schools are in some of the lowest-income neighborhoods in Illinois,” she says. “We realized immediately that we needed to deliver meals at home, consistently.” She worked with food providers to implement breakfast and lunch delivery that is still in place, one year later. As an M.P.H. student in the Food Systems and Health concentration, she learned how important school meals are for the food security of so many children.

During the pandemic, McGraw’s work has shifted largely to developing new food safety policies, COVID safety policies, remote learning plans and hybrid learning plans, and implementing them with school leaders. She stays in contact with school families and staff using surveys and focus groups to understand their needs about remote learning, returning to school, and feeling safe. “We really talk to staff and families—it might take longer, but the M.P.H. Program made me realize how important it is to talk to your community.”

-Written by Audrey Baker