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Thank you for being my reference and for being such a lovely supervisor! I won't lie, I am very glad that the thesis process is over, but it was such an important step for me. I guess I didn't tell you - but the reason that the ILO offered me this position is because they were one of the organizations that I interviewed for my thesis.

I sent the interviewee a copy of my thesis after it was published, and they offered for me to come and help them improve their gender equality integration in their evaluations! So that is what I am doing now. I would never have had this great opportunity otherwise, so I am very happy it all worked out so well.

The co-op component of the MPA on-campus program helped me get my foot in the door to the federal public service. My co-op position translated directly into an indeterminate (permanent) position well before I graduated.

Having the Statistics and Economics classes is helping me directly fulfill classification requirements in the EC-classification jobs in the federal public service. These positions have degree requirements which require both of these disciplines, and are higher-paying positions. The theoretical and practical writing classes proved very useful. Learning about logic models and writing briefing notes are all assets in the public service and pay dividends. Effective and concise writing are must-haves, and being able to understand leadership-level audiences is key.

In my first co-op, I am thrilled to be working with the Indigenous Guardians Pilot in Canada Wildlife Service, where I have the opportunity to learn from and to support Indigenous-led stewardship initiatives from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

As an undergrad, I explored the experiences of female elected officials in local governments. After this project, I knew I wanted real-life work experience and additional government-related courses. The MPA program offered a combination of both.

Through co-ops I've worked for two rural local governments on Vancouver Island - the Village of Tahsis and the Village of Alert Bay. During both placements I independently conducted bylaw projects but also had the opportunity to learn other areas of local government, such as running a by-election and grant writing. I feel prepared and confident for a career in local government.

The highlight of the program for me has been the combination of accessible and actively contributing faculty and an enthusiastic and skilled cohort of fellow students. The work that I've completed with the policy development division of Policy Directorate of Environment and Climate Change Canada has also been a fascinating experience, and I truly feel that I have had a chance to see how policy is being designed and formed.

The highlight of my MPA program so far has been my Government and Governance class with Dr. Lindquist. I considered the class to be quintessential to my understanding of the public sector and has aptly prepared me for my co-op position with an independent office of the legislature.

My thesis examines the correlation between adverse childhood experiences and involvement in family law matters. Through my course of work at the BC Ombudsperson Office, I have become exposed to many MCFD matters and have heard the real lived experiences of the parties involved. This work is important to me as through both my professional and educational experiences, I have been privy to the impact of our adversarial system on children and their families and believe developing research on this topic will be the initial step towards law and policy reform.

The practical approaches to policy development in the public sector, and the opportunity to apply these skills during integrated co-op work terms drew me to the MPA program.

I have worked for the Policy Innovation Hub in Brisbane, Australia. This was a remote position, so I was able to apply skills learned during my course term regarding virtual teamwork and communication, in addition to researching policy options in global jurisdictions.

I am planning to write my thesis on leading civic engagement and citizen participation in society. Strong democracies need engaged citizens with influential and diverse leadership.

I am currently writing my thesis on collaborative opportunities between First Nation governments and municipal counterparts. I chose this topic from firsthand experience having lived in a region where these two communities were geographically neighbours but couldn't be further apart jurisdictionally. As a result, a number of service and infrastructure issues repeatedly presented themselves. I'm hoping that my thesis can somewhat literally help "bridge the gap."

The support I've felt from staff, the co-op program and the MPA administration has been wonderful. Having attended a number of events and presentations hosted by the School of Public Administration designed to facilitate networking and learning, I feel that my future career opportunities with the Public Service have never been stronger.