This summer, two MPA students completed paid internships as part of the MPA+HPD Fellowship, a new partnership between the MPA Program at CCNY and the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).
The inaugural fellows, Juliet Bravo and Larry Wu, interned in HPD’s Office of Policy and Strategy on an interdisciplinary team that provides policy analysis and research for diverse projects across the agency and at the request of the NYC Mayor’s Office.
The fellows applied skills learned in their MPA… Read More »
Amy Sprecher (MPA ‘22) is an award-winning media producer specializing in mission-driven communications and is owner and president of The Sprecher Company, LLC. A native from Ohio, Amy started marching for human rights with her family at a young age and continues marching today. She is passionate about creating spaces for deep dialogue between people of all backgrounds to overcome divisions and build movement solidarity and unity. Drawing upon her expertise in communications and her research as an MPA student, she designed a… Read More »
The Garifuna Support Network: Tackling Environmental Injustice in Afro-Indigenous Communities of Honduras
Walter Arzu (MPA ‘22) is a policy analyst and project manager with experience in advocacy and social work in New York City. He is strongly committed to using his skills and knowledge to promote social equity and environmental sustainability in the afro-indigenous Garifuna communities of Honduras, where his family is from. He created the Garifuna Support Network (GSN), and with support from the MPA Changemaker Fellowship, he designed a project to tackle one of the principal problems affecting the community: environmental… Read More »
MPA Student Creates Podcast for Venezuelan Migrant Youth to Tell Their Stories and Counter Xenophobia in Trinidad
Ariel Montrose (MPA '22) is an administrative professional with a background in global studies and a passion for amplifying marginalized people’s voices through storytelling. With deep family ties to both Trinidad and Venezuela, Montrose has been troubled by the increase in anti-Venezuelan sentiment in Trinidad amid the influx of Venezuelan migrants driven by economic crisis. This motivated her to apply to the MPA Changemaker Fellowship and create a podcast in collaboration with a grassroots organization in Trinidad to raise… Read More »
Kasiani Nesturi (MPA ‘22) is a financial professional who has worked as a senior analyst at several global financial services companies over the past eight years. An immigrant from Albania, Nesturi is keenly aware of the economic disempowerment of women in her native country and in the Balkan region more broadly. That is what motivated her to apply for the MPA Changemaker Fellowship and create Learn Financial Management Café (LFMC), a seven-week financial literacy program designed for communities of low-income Balkan women… Read More »
Economic Development from Within: MPA Capstone Projects Partner with Clients in the South Bronx and Brooklyn
The Spring 2022 MPA Capstone projects explored a central theme: how can working class communities of color in New York City grow their economies and improve outcomes in health, education, and housing by building local capacity to manage community resources and support civic and technological innovation?
The capstone is the culminating, semester-long project in which MPA students apply the skills and knowledge they have learned in the program to a social problem affecting New York City. Students work in teams to produce deliverables… Read More »
Alumni Share Experiences, Advice, and Opportunities with Current Students at Panel + Connector Event
At the MPA Program’s Alumni Panel and Connector event earlier this month, seven outstanding alumni discussed their paths in government, business, and the nonprofit sector and offered advice and insight about building careers in social change.
MPA Executive Director Bobby Derival moderated the panel. He prompted the alumni to speak about what motivates them to work for social-mission driven organizations and what essential skills have helped them advance in their professional paths. The alumni also shared tips on how to self-… Read More »
This month the MPA Program was honored to host a workshop facilitated by PFLAG NYC. The workshop focused on creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ+) members of the MPA community.
PFLAG, which was founded nearly 50 years ago and has more than 400 chapters, works to make life better for LGBTQ+ people through education, advocacy, and direct support to youth, families, and allies.
Clark Hamel, who lead the workshop, manages PFLAG’s Safe… Read More »
MPA Alum, Now Chief of Staff in Dept. of Housing, Speaks with Students about City Government Careers
The MPA Fall Workshop Series aims not only to develop students’ career-building skills but also to connect students to career pathways and networks in the field.
The latest workshop gave students the opportunity to explore city government careers by speaking with a team of professionals from the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).
Jashawn Frederick, a graduate of the MPA Program, gave students an overview of the work performed at HPD’s Office of Policy and Strategy, where he is now Chief of Staff.
Frederick was joined by Lucy Joffe,… Read More »
In the latest workshop in the MPA Fall Seminar Series, students uncovered and identified their strengths and explored new ways to draw on those strengths as they develop their authentic leadership styles.
The workshop helped students become more comfortable talking about the things they do uniquely well, such as building relationships, learning new concepts, listening to diverse perspectives, strategizing, thinking creatively, coaching or influencing others, maintaining discipline and accountability, or striving for greater achievement.
To prepare for the… Read More »
Last Updated: 09/13/2021 15:40