Current Students
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Amorim, Mariana I am Brazilian and I completed my undergraduate studies in Business at Federal University of Pernambuco. During this period, I dedicated myself to research in projects related to social movements, landless movement, cultural organization, meanings of work, and eco-feminism; I was also a volunteer in organizations that worked with oppressed women, theater of the oppressed, micro-credit, and social activism in Brazil. My country, and more specifically my state, suffers from high rates of violence against women, and this is one of the reasons I want to focus on gender and equality policies during the MPP program. |
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Anselm, Marie I was born and raised in Rochester, NY but left the area after high school to attend Clark University in Worcester, MA. Originally an undeclared major, I quickly discovered and fell in love with the field of Geography. After earning a B.A. in Geography, in which I concentrated in human and economic geography, I decided to take time off from my studies and live/travel overseas. Rural development and sustainable agriculture are my main areas of interest, which has led me to work on a number of farms, as well as a farm market coordinator. While at OSU I plan to continue to focus my studies on the development of sustainable agricultural systems - both domestically and abroad - that benefit small-scale producers and the communities in which they live. |
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Arce, Rebecca My greatest achievement was the birth of my son in 2009. Receiving my undergraduate degree in 2012 from Columbia College is a close second. Currently I live in Albany, Oregon with my little family while I attend the MPP program at OSU. Before coming to Oregon I spent most of my free time working in community gardens, campaigning for state and local officials, and building Legos with my son. I also managed to intern for Senator Claire McCaskill. The issues that are close to me involve a wide range of topics from international relations to the environment. All these issue come back to the community and how we address social issues that affect minorities, health care, education, and corporate responsibility. |
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Bene, Heather Policy Interests: Social Major Professor: Brent S. Steel, Political Science Internship: OSU Governmental Relations Awards: Laurels Scholarship |
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Bolick, Zachary Currently I am an MPP student at Oregon State University focusing on Environmental Policy. As of now, I am most interested in marine and coastal environments and the public administration officials involved in managing these areas. My hope is to come out of the MPP program with an in depth knowledge of the many facets of environmental policy. In turn, this should help me with my eventual goal of becoming an effective agent in natural resource management and policy development. |
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Bragg, Mathew I grew up in Champaign, Illinois and attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an undergraduate. While at Illinois I studied Atmospheric Science and conducted research on climate change impacts and adaptation in urban areas of the United States. This research sparked my interest in climate change policy, ultimately leading me to the MPP program here at Oregon State University. While at OSU I look forward to working on research projects in the areas of environmental and energy policy. In my free time I enjoy many outdoor activities like running, biking, skiing, and fishing. I am also an avid soccer player and fan. |
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Brainerd, Christopher I grew up in Amherst, MA, a college town very similar to Corvallis in a lot of respects. I Graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 2010 with a BA in economics, and spent the next several years growing more and more interested in issues of the way our values influence we talk about policy. My concentration here at OSU is social policy, and I hope to bring my background in economics together with my interest in language to address the effects and stigma associated with bankruptcy in the United States.
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Bugden, Dylan My name is Dylan Bugden and I came to the MPP program from the University of Idaho, where I received my undergraduate degree in conservation social science. I am passionate about protecting natural resources and vulnerable communities from undue exploitation, and believe that the best way to do that is through direct and effective public policy. My concentration here at OSU will be in energy and environmental policy. I am specifically interested in developing policy schemes which encourage and enforce environmentally responsible corporate behavior. |
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Campbell, Shannon I was born in Illinois, but grew up in Montana and have considered myself a Montana girl ever since. I attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, where I received my degree in political science with a minor in history in 2009. While there, I did a legislative advocacy internship at Hesed House, one of Illinois' largest homeless shelters. I was the sole person in my little policy department at the time, and ended up researching and writing a legislative initiative with a statewide interest group. This experience, combined with my time at Hesed House getting to know the residents and staff, made clear to me what I really wanted to do with my life. After Wheaton, I spent a year and a half working with gifts-in-kind at a rescue mission in Spokane/Coeur d'Alene, and then a year in Naperville, IL, having fun working as resident content and social media strategist at a graphic design/advertising firm. I met my husband Chase my junior year at Wheaton, and we've been married for nearly three years now. We're both very happy to be back in the Northwest, and I'm looking forward to learning and growing in the MPP program at OSU! My plan is to concentrate in social policy, with a particular focus on poverty and homelessness, in the hopes of returning to nonprofit-based legislative advocacy work.
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Carroll, Joey I grew up on a small island in the tiny town of Petersburg, Alaska where it rains or snows all but about 10 days out of the year. I graduated from Oregon State University in 2006 with a BA in Political Science. I returned to Oregon State in 2010 and completed my BA in Economics. I am a dual degree student in both Public Policy and Applied Economics. My concentration in both programs is welfare economics and poverty. Specifically I am studying enrollment patterns/issues in the SNAP and WIC programs. On the side I am secretly in love with finance economics and I am very passionate about issues with human trafficking. I have two small children who keep me busy. So my hobbies include board games, playing with play dough, coloring, and cleaning up after my kids.
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Clark, Claire Policy Interests: Social/International Major Professor: Sarah Henderson, Political Science Internship: Planned Parenthood Associates of Oregon After growing up in Corvallis, I moved to Eugene, Oregon where I completed an undergraduate degree in French and Political Science. I had the opportunity to spend a year abroad studying in Lyon, France where I attended the Institut d'Études Politiques. In pursuing my degree in Political Science I was especially interested in political theory and, more specifically, feminist theory. These interests led me to pursue a Masters of Public Policy here at Oregon State University so that in the future I can make a real impact on gender equality issues I care most about. |
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Clark, Joseph I am interested in studying federal tax policy, specifically regarding changes in federal income tax rates over the last few decades. Tentatively, I would like to focus on how those changes have affected the growth and stability of individual state economies. I enjoy fishing, crabbing, working on cars, exploring new places, and (more recently) sampling the best microbrews the Pacific Northwest has to offer. |
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Cline, Sarah Originally from the California Bay Area, my undergraduate years were spent at McGill University where I earned a B.A. in International Development and History. My research focused on development theory, indigenous rights and governance, collective memory, trauma and identity. Upon graduation, I worked as a Policy Coordinator for the Northern Plains Initiative based in Great Falls, Montana-- developing regional agendas to enhance state-tribal relations and rural economic development. Now at the School of Public Policy, my research interests include crime and judicial sovereignty in Indian Country; more specifically, the impact of Public Law 280.
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Creighton, Jason I grew up in rural Oregon and joined the United States Coast Guard when I turned 18. I was stationed in the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast United States serving as a small boat crew member and aviator on board C-130 aircraft. After my final duty station in Tampa, Florida I attended the University of Tampa to major in Sociology. Following this I was accepted into the MPP program at Oregon State. My reasoning for entering the Master of Public Policy program was founded upon my belief in the importance of examining situations from multiple perspectives. I believe that is the largest asset that this program can offer in that you can analyze and prioritize societal problems using social, economic, and political perspectives. I have an innate interest in understanding the merits behind multiple paradigms even if they are contrary to my personal opinions and the contrast has been a good fit for this program. The culmination of these results in the outputs which allow us to come to well reasoned decisions which affect all members of our society. It is my belief that an awareness of these factors should be the root of all decisions used in public decision making.
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Davidson, Ian I was born and raised in Federal Way, WA, a suburb to the south of Seattle, WA. I took advantage of a program called "Running Start," which allowed me to attend a local community college for my junior and senior year of high school, fulfilling my high school and collegiate requirements. With an AA in hand, I continued my studies at BYU, in Provo, UT. History became my major field of study, but after my first year at BYU I took a two year hiatus to go on a proselytizing mission in southern Brazil. History provided a backdrop of context for the world and its workings. After much deliberation I decided Public Policy would be best suited for me. I am interested in Energy and Transportation policy along with the idea of collaboration among differing parties to achieve the best possible policies for the community as a whole. |
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Donin, Daniel
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Dorkenou, Kwami I am from Togo (West Africa) and I have an Electrical Engineering background. After my graduation I worked a few months with an environmental NGO before joining the department of energy of my country. My work as a research analyst allowed me to engage with professionals from diverse background (public, private, non-profit, Law, Economics, Business, environment), and showed me how complex is the issue of energy, namely its access in rural areas and with regard to the current constraints such as climate change and environmental sustainability. Thus my willingness to gain the necessary skills to engage productively in the discussion.
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Dugan, Dennis I was born and raised in Oregon's Willamette Valley, received a BA in 2006 from OSU in Philosophy and Sociology, and spent so much time in Corvallis I took up disc golf and homebrewing. I'm interested in private property policies, the ways in which normative claims are hidden by the language of public policy, and sustainable local economic development. |
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Dunn, Zachary I was born in Corvallis, Oregon and grew up nearby in Albany. After high school I attended Oregon State University and received my B.S. in ecological engineering with a minor in peace studies. As an undergraduate student I was a volunteer for Engineers Without Borders USA, a humanitarian organization that partners with low-income communities around the world to help meet basic human needs. As a member of EWB-USA I traveled to western Kenya to work on a clean water project in a village called Lela. The experience got me hooked on international development. I was later accepted to the Master of Public Policy program at OSU for graduate study. |
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Eckstein, Jeremy I was born in Cologne, Germany and moved to study in California when I was 18. After finishing my studies at the University of California Santa Cruz, I moved to San Francisco and worked with the Elections Department there for several years; implementing local, state and national elections. Through working at the local elections department I learned about international elections projects. The work caught my attention, and I began working internationally. I had the privilege to be part of events like the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, the first-post conflict-elections in Liberia, the rebuilding of the electoral and democratic system in Bangladesh, and was a part of the many aspects of implementing the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Process. I also had the opportunity to work on election processes in Nepal, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, El Salvador, Venezuela, Georgia, Montenegro, Albania and Serbia. Now that the travel has worn me down, I'm looking forward to getting into local energy issues. |
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Erstad, Rachel I grew up on a farm outside of Scobey, MT., a rural community close to Canada and North Dakota. I have lived in the Pacific Northwest for the last four years, and I continue to be impressed by the beauty of this area. I graduated from North Dakota State University in 2008 with degrees in Sociology and English. I then spent two years working for a public advocacy organization in Washington, Ohio, and Michigan, before beginning the Grad school application process. I switched from the English MA program here at OSU after I discovered that my priorities and goals have changed significantly, and public policy is a better fit for me. I look forward to furthering my knowledge of social policy- specifically education policy.
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Gantla, Snehalatha I was born in a small town in Southeast India and moved to the Chicago suburbs when I was 11. Until my move to Oregon to attend grad school, I spent all of my time in the Midwest, except for a brief stint in New York City for a summer. I attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where I studied Sociology and English. After graduating in 2010, I spent two years working at a litigation firm in Chicago and realized law school was a terrible idea. Looking back, I would have to say my interest in policy really grew when I was working on my Sociology major completion. But it was during the last year that my interest became more geared towards sustainability and agriculture/food policy. Specifically, I'm interested in localized food systems in the context of social, economic, and environmental sustainability. When choosing Oregon State the main influencing factors were that the program placed a strong emphasis on community and social progress and the state of Oregon has mountains and forests. |
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Getchell, Matthew I received my BA in Science, Technology, and Society (STS) from the University of Puget Sound, and wanted to find a way to effectively make an impact in accordance with my personal values, which drew me to the MPP program. I'm currently on the Energy Policy track and my research is on barriers to the successful dissemination of Solar Water Heaters in Oregon's residential sector. My internship is through a research grant from the Oregon Department of Energy examining the details of Smart Grid pilot projects around the country with the end goal of a comprehensive database for the State and possible recommendations for future projects in Oregon. Upon graduating, I hope to work in some position that puts renewable energy and efficiency technologies in the Oregon residential community.
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Grandolfo, Joseph
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Gwin, Sara I grew up in Salem, Oregon and came to OSU on a lost Civil War bet. As hard as it was to be a Duck fan attending OSU, I ended up really liking the campus and the community and decided not to transfer. I received a B.S. in Women Studies with minors in Sociology and Psychology. While I would have loved to go into a graduate program in Women Studies, I was drawn to Public Policy because it would give me a new skill set and a different perspective for addressing social problems. I originally wanted to attend a graduate program in a big city far away from small town Oregon, but the MPP program here was far too impressive to pass up. I plan to concentrate in Social Policy with a focus on health policy, particularly as it affects women.
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Hauser, Daniel Before coming to Oregon State as an MPP Student I grew up in Aloha, Oregon and then got my undergraduate here at OSU. My major was Political Science and my emphasis was on International Relations. I took a year off and worked on Bud Laurent's campaign for Oregon State Representative (Albany). Afterwards, I knew I'd rather spend some time on actual policy before the next election cycle and came back to Oregon State. I am planning to research the effect of education on class mobility. Currently, my MPP thesis will be on the effect of simultaneous reductions in need-based financial aid and rising tuition costs on the accessibility of higher education for low-income students.
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Hickman, Rose I am originally from San Diego, CA but spent my High School years in Sacramento, CA. I received my Bachelors degree in International Relations and Latin American studies at George Washington University in Washington, DC. During my Junior year I studied abroad in Ecuador and Oaxaca, Mexico, where I conducted research on identity and immigration in rural African diaspora communities. Upon graduating I moved to Seattle, WA where I served as an AmeriCorps member in a diverse High School. I've also worked in Seattle as a program manager for a high school drop-out prevention mentoring program, a case manager for homeless youth, and finally as a manager for an international exchange company. I was attracted to the OSU MPP program because of it's unique focus on Rural policy and it's emphasis on interdisciplinary studies and diverse research methods. My research interests include sustainable economic and community development in rural areas, particularly in the American West. I am also interested in international comparative rural policy and what we can learn from other countries' domestic rural policies. |
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Householder, Sydney I was born and raised in Ohio, in a small town on the Ohio River. My interest in public policy began during my senior year of high school, when I began working on the Primary Election campaign of Barack Obama. I went on to study Political Science and Racial Conflict at the University of Akron. During my undergraduate career, I interned with Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Ohio, working under the state legislative director doing policy research. The summer following my undergraduate graduation, I worked on a community organizing project with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) that was focused on creating neighborhood organizations whose purpose would be to empower local people to produce change in their communities. I have a strong interest in social and economic justice, and I am excited to be part of a program that will give so many opportunities to act on my interests!
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Janssen, Kyle I was born in Pocatello, Idaho, and lived there until I moved to La Grande, Oregon to study journalism and run track at Eastern Oregon University. I graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Media Arts, concentrating on journalism with minors in sociology and communications. After graduating, I served two years as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member at The Idaho Foodbank in Boise, Idaho. My work included the up-build and oversight of a statewide children’s nutrition program, as well as research and implementation of an education program on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. My research interests include poverty, particularly the cycle of poverty, food insecurity, and public health. |
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Kloepfer, Daniel My name is Daniel Kloepfer and I am from Cincinnati, OH. I received my B.A. in Political Science and Spanish at Ohio University in Athens, OH. While at Ohio University I was a member of the Men's Crew team and studied abroad in Pamplona, Spain. After graduation I joined Americorps and worked for the Nevada Conservation Corps. After taking a few years off to be closer to my family I decided it was time to get back to school. I am interested in Environmental Policy and am passionate about conservation. I love the West but am very fond of Cincinnati, especially the Cincinnati Bengals and Reds, and my home state of Ohio.
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Lanfear, Charles I was born in Seattle, WA, but raised in Florence on the Oregon coast. A Corvallis resident since 2004, I graduated from OSU with a B.A. in Sociology in 2010. My positive undergraduate experiences with faculty in the Department of Public Policy, in addition to an interest in research and policy, led me to join the MPP program at OSU. While my overall focus is in law and crime in the United States, I am most interested in drug policy, disparities in crime enforcement and sentencing, and the causes and consequences of our disproportionate penal system. I hope to leverage the skills and connections gained through OSU's MPP program to effect positive change in our criminal justice system and society in general through scientifically informed policy.
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Liao, Shaoshan ("Ella") I was born in Zhongshan, a small but beautiful city near Guangzhou and HongKong in China. My major was business administration when I was an undergraduate. After graduating from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, I worked for half a year in a branch of China Construction Bank. Then I decided to quit the job to do something more meaningful in my life. Going on further study in the U.S has always been a dream to me. The reason why I chose Oregon State University is that it has breathtaking landscapes around the campus and it provides a great academic platform where we can fully display our talents and make a difference. And I believe the MPP program will help me to achieve my career goal in public service. My policy interest is international policy. Specifically, I am fond of doing researches in international economic policies and social policies. I enjoy the life here in Corvallis and I am excited to experience different cultures. |
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Marisa I am particularly interested in issues such as conflict, poverty, systems of inequality, environmental justice, and human rights. After graduating with a degree in human services, I decided to pursue a master's degree in international and social policy. I've always been idealistic, and this program, grounded in research, empowers me to pursue my ideals while discovering tangible solutions to global problems. I am love being in the MPP program - it has provided me with so many professional development and networking opportunities. The program is challenging, inspiring, and is helping prepare me for a career in the nonprofit and public sectors addressing issues that I care about. |
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McGie, Darrell |
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Meuse, Paul Policy Interests: International Major Professor: Sarah Henderson, Political Science Internship: Governor's Office, State of Oregon From Medford, Oregon, I graduated from Willamette University in Salem,OR with a B.A. in Politics. After graduating Willamette in 2008 I landed a job teaching English in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan, for 19 months. I became interested in the MPP program after talking with Brent Steel and learning about the research orientation of the program, as well as its great practicality given the current job market. The more I learn about the program and talk to my cohorts I realize how much I agree with the spirit of it as well: cooperative, skills-based, research-oriented, and interdisciplinary. As an MPP student I am currently interested in international development, gender issues and human rights. A current research project I am starting deals with the relationship between the subordination of women and authoritarian regimes among Islamic countries.
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Miller, Alethia While obtaining my Bachelor of Arts degree in politics from Willamette University, I was able to experience policy-making firsthand as a student commissioner for the Oregon Student Access Commission. As a commissioner, I helped allocate the largest state need-based grant in Oregon (the Oregon Opportunity Grant). I also had the opportunity to intern for Congressman Kurt Schrader in Salem, where I learned of the complexities in federal legislation and congressional districts. During the summer and fall quarter, I assisted the Higher Education Coordinating Commission on the textbook affordability workgroup and the final report was issued to the legislature. Currently I am working full-time for the Oregon State Legislature, in committee services, while assisting the three education committees in both the House and Senate. In the future I would like to continue being a part of the policy process that benefits the social needs of citizens.
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Miller, Stacey As a young child growing up in eastern Pennsylvania, I had dreams of swimming with dolphins and saving ocean inhabitants from the detrimental effects of human activities. This dream led to the pursuit of an undergraduate degree in environmental biology from Millersville University (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) and a semester abroad with the School for Field Studies in Puerto San Carlos, Mexico. During the field school, I experienced the intimate connection, dependency and respect in which individuals and fishing communities have with, on and for, their marine resources. These experiences, along with the completion of a MS degree in Marine Resource Management from OSU, promoted a strong interest for investigating resource management problems from a multidisciplinary approach. I began my career in fisheries as a fishery observer in the Bering Sea and now work as a fisheries biologist for NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center as the west coast groundfish stock assessment coordinator. I coordinate fishery research activities and our scientific peer review process, which require me to work closely with fishery scientists, social scientists, economists, and fishery managers. Over the course of my career, I’ve realized that I’m not only a “fish head” but I also love understanding, thinking about, and researching the social and economic conditions which motivate human behavior, the incentives (sometimes perverse) created by well-intentioned public policies, and how scientific uncertainty affects decision-making and is translated into public policy. I’m excited to join the MPP program to expand my understanding of environmental policy but even more importantly, I’m excited to learn the skills to make a difference in our ever changing world.
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Mooney, Carla Born in Bolivia, a country that is well known for its diversity in cultures and geography, I was raised Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a city known for its vast natural resources, green landscape, and entrepreneurial activities. Spending my time in the rural countryside during my summers in high school and then working for a private non-profit organization made me aware of the big gap in the access of knowledge, resources, and services between rural areas and cities. Before leaving Bolivia two years ago, I joined a recycling project in a rural town. That experience triggered my interest in issues related to the environment, conservation, and sustainable development in my country, in particular in rural towns and peripheral areas of cities. I feel strongly that the MPP program can provide me with the knowledge and experience that I need in these matters. I plan to focus on issues related to climate change, adaptive capacity and development of communities, and comparative policies. My dream is to earn experience here and some day work around the world in environmental/conservationist issues in particular in developing countries like Bolivia. Besides academic activities, I enjoy the idea of exploring Oregon, learning new cooking recipes, watching foreign/independent movies, reading literature, planning backpacking experiences, and practicing poi spinning.
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Murugesan, Sandeep I am Sandeep and I was born and brought up in Coimbatore, India. I completed my undergraduate studies in Electronics and Communication Engineering. After graduating, I joined an IT conglomerate and worked as a systems engineer for about three years. During this time I developed a keen interest for economics and public policy. I joined OSU to pursue my academic interest and to interact, collaborate and work with people from diverse backgrounds. I aspire to be a policy researcher/analyst, ideally working in the public sector. |
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Nainggolan, Yossa AP I started my career as a researcher in the National Commission of Human Rights in Indonesia 6 years ago. Over the years, I got a lot of research experience in human rights issues including the basic rights for food, education, health, housing, and occupation by poor people. Although regulations exist in Indonesia, policies are not implemented and people suffer. I have made up my mind to explore these problems more deeply and am hoping we can design some solutions. I was awarded a USAID scholarship to pursue the MPP at Oregon State University. I feel privileged to be a part of MPP Program under the guidance of experienced faculty at OSU. I am interested in Rural Policy and Social Policy. Personally, I love making large circles of good friends and am fond of travelling. I like to get updated with news, I love reading historical stories and I always wanted to be a sports person in tennis, swimming and badminton. I have come to this diverse country with an open mind and I hope to take all the good things back to my country after 2 years.
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O'Casey, Elizabeth Growing up on a Christmas tree farm bordering a national park, I’ve seen instances of both tension and collaboration between rural communities and federal bodies. I hope to work on issues related to rural environmental policy for the purpose of increasing community resilience and park-community relations. Prior to attending OSU, two jobs in particular impacted my current interests. The first was working in several rural Thai schools as a Peace Corps volunteer and the second job was working as an interpretive ranger in North Cascades National Park. In the Northern Thai villages, I encouraged students to grow beyond society’s projections for them and become regional leaders in the rural environmental movement. While at North Cascades, I witnessed tremendous dissonance between the park’s conservation policies and the community’s acceptance of these policies. This experience left me searching for ways to unite community-based resource management with federally-based resource management. I’m thrilled to be a part of the MPP program at OSU. I chose Oregon State University’s MPP program for several reasons. OSU and the MPP program are active in rural communities around the state, working with natural resources management bodies and community stakeholders.
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Olson, Jarrod Jarrod is a second year student studying civil strife and international development. He is an employee on leave from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he works as a policy analyst on issues including nuclear nonproliferation, human trafficking and emergency response and recovery. He completed his undergraduate work at University of Washington in 2009, where he studied Near Eastern Languages and Civilization with a focus on Iran and Turkey. His essay is looking at the effect of food insecurity on the probability of civil strife onset. Better knowledge in this area will improve conflict prediction and prevention as governments around the world adapt to our changing climatic conditions. |
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Osborne-Gowey, Jeremiah Jeremiah is an aquatic/landscape ecologist with over 15 years of Federal, State, educational and private and non-profit consulting experience throughout the Western United States. He has an Honors Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries and Wildlife and a Master of Science degree in Quantitative Fish Ecology, both from Oregon State University. While Jeremiah?s research has focused primarily on fish and aquatic communities, he has worked with a variety of organisms including amphibians, mollusks, ungulates, cougar and lynx, owls, songbirds, voles, plants and fungi. Consequently, he has conducted research in a variety of systems including terrestrial, aquatic (freshwater, marine, estuarine), arboreal, desert, sagebrush steppe, subalpine, coastal and montane, and with ubiquitous, sensitive, native and introduced species. In recent years, Jeremiah has served as Chair of the Legislative Committee of the Oregon Chapter of the American Fisheries Society - the world's largest and oldest organization dedicated to the conservation and sustainability of fisheries resources and aquatic ecosystems - developing policy briefs and advising legislators on the potential implications new legislation may have on aquatic ecosystems. Jeremiah's interests are diverse and include statistics, ecology, behavioral interactions, community structure, impacts of introduced species, science communication and policy and the interplay between humans and the rest of the natural world. Personally, Jeremiah enjoys spending time with his family, friends and animals. Favorite activities include camping, backpacking, fishing, hunting, SCUBA diving, fly tying, traveling, photography, reading, gardening, geocaching, and homebrewing.
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Overholser, Michael
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Palm, Matthew Matthew Palm is a second year studying Transportation Policy in the Social Concentration at Oregon State University. He has interned at the Oregon Department of Transportation on analyzing state-wide travel survey data, working on a Housing Price-Density model for ODOT's GHG emissions model and updating ODOT's Transportation/Land Use Greenhouse Gas Reduction Toolkit for local planners. He is also currently working with OSU's Transportation and Parking Services office on redesigning the campus's parking permitting system. He sits on the OSU-Corvallis Collaboration's Traffic and Parking Workgroup.
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Rhynard-Geil, Meghann Hi, I’m a first year MPP student with an international and rural focus. I attended Oregon State University for my undergraduate work and received a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Writing. I have worked tutoring international students in writing, volunteering abroad, and promoting international aid organizations here. My interests currently lie with cross cultural understanding and communication – how to best create an international community while still maintaining our unique cultural identities.
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Ruiz, Larry |
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Russell, Justin |
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Sherman, Anna
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Spaeth, Andrew My interests in wilderness recreation, education, agriculture, and more broadly the environment led me to Bemidji State University, where I pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental studies and applied public policy. In 2010, I graduated and began working in the nonprofit sector in Saint Paul. The Minnesota Environmental Partnership is the flagship environmental nonprofit in the state, advocating on behalf of 80 member organizations and over 400,000 Minnesotans. In my role with the partnership, I worked on nonpartisan candidate education and legislative outreach. Concurrently, I served as the State Chair of the Minnesota State University Student Association, which represents over 70,000 students in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. As the chief spokesperson of the association, I advocated for accessible and affordable higher education at the campus, state, and federal levels. In the spring of 2011 I left Minnesota on a series of adventures. The first excursion was an eighty day canoe trip from Lake Superior to Hudson's Bay, retracing 1300 miles of historic fur-trade routes across the boreal forest. After a brief reprise, I spent six weeks in the Commonwealth of Dominica, where I observed the development of that country's first comprehensive national energy policy and sustainable energy plan. I returned to the states and found myself skiing and working in northern California. Following a short winter, I moved to the San Juan Islands in Washington State and immersed myself in organic agriculture and the local food system.
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Stevens, Katelyn I have resided in Oregon all my life, first in eastern Oregon and now in Corvallis. I received my undergraduate degree in Sociology with an option in Crime and Justice in the spring of 2012 from Oregon State University where I found my interest in public policy. My participation in the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program gave me insights into an unseen world. I am currently volunteering in a youth facility in Salem, Oregon where I am able to tutor high school students and co-teach a book club. I sought the Master of Public Policy because of my interest in prison education policy as I am passionate about the role and implementation of prison programs in the Oregon Penitentiary System as they relate to reduced recidivism rates. I believe the Master of Public Policy will grant me the knowledge and experience to affect positive change, through education programs, for the youth and inmates of Oregon prisons.
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Tanner, Andrew Growing up on 10 forested acres near Mt. Lassen in Northern California, I took it for granted that everyone explored seasonal creeks, hung out with horses, and had to shovel a quarter mile of snow to get to the bus stop in the winter. To me, people are just one, albeit particularly interesting, component of the complex ecological system that is our biosphere. This belief has only been strengthened after my wife and I moved to the little town of Independence, Oregon, in 2008, and subsequently I went to work for the State of Oregon while she began a career as a public service attorney. I am working towards concurrent masters degrees in Public Policy and Water Resources Policy and Management to be able to more fully participate in the pressing debates surrounding our species' future on this planet. My primary interest is in environmental policy, closely followed by social policy, and I feel the two are inextricably bound at the most basic level. This sense of the ultimate "oneness" of the two has sparked an interest in social ecology, social anarchism, and green politics and philosophy in general. As a Buddhist, the melding of seemingly distinct perspectives is essential to my philosophy, and ultimately informs the direction I intend to take in my research. Post MPP, my goal is to pursue a PhD somewhere in Oregon. Along the way, I look forward to sharing the next two years with the interesting and engaging people whose enthusiasm interested me in OSU MPP in the first place. |
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Timilsina, Dinesh I was born and raised in the lap of Himalayas, Nepal. I spent my childhood playing all around rivers, forest, mountains and the paddy fields. I had done my under graduate in Development studies from Kathmandu University. I was involved in a research last year as a part of my final year project for the completion of my degree. It was really a great experience; going among the people, knowing their aspiration, stuck emotionally with their sorrow, all these cumulated to drive me crazy for the same sort of research based degree. But I was looking forward to join an international institute to continue my study and OSU come on my way! Public policy in OSU is really astonishing. I love this city, Corvallis and the people around. A bit familiar with web world, I have done professional training on web designing and PHP/my SQL. My policy major will be international policy and I am interested in trade relationship among the nations. Beside study, I love trekking, white river rafting, paragliding or say all sort of adventurous trips! |
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Tuttle, Ryan I was born and raised in Salem, Oregon. Growing up as a boy scout in the Willamette Valley gave me ample opportunities to fall in love with some of the countless national forests in this beautiful state, it also shaped my appreciation and understanding of healthy ecosystems. I received my Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. While I was at GU, I spent a semester in the rainforests of northeastern Australia and had my first foray into the world of research. I also took part in developing Gonzaga’s Climate Action Plan to achieve climate neutral emissions. My studies have provided me with an understanding of the interconnected nature of environmental, social, and political issues. After a summer interning with the Department of Energy in Washington D.C., I come to Oregon State focused on the nexus of Energy and Environmental Policy – particularly the role that policy plays in combatting the great issue of our age: Global Climate Change. After four years in the deserts of Eastern Washington I take great joy in finally returning to the rain-drenched west side of the Cascades. You can often find me shamelessly plugging the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, openly bemoaning the mediocrity of my favorite baseball team (the Mariners), or jumping for joy / wallowing in despair at the result of the latest Beavers or Zags game.
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Vazquez, M. Dolores
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Vincent, Jennica I came to OSU to pursue an MPP with a focus on civic engagement in Higher Education. I have previously worked in Student Services at Washington State University while earning an M.Ed in Counseling Psychology, at the WSU Disability Resource Center while earning a B.S. in Psychology with minors in Sociology and in French. I found my passion for teaching while instructing applied Psychology at WSU, as an interim psychology instructor at Pullman High School, and while teaching English & American Culture in a public high school in Lognes, France, while living in Paris. I also found my passion for not-waitressing while waitressing. This also sparked my interest in advocating for worker-owned cooperatives. I am focusing on how volunteering and participating in civic service can help students get more from the university experience, as well as the community and democratic impact of volunteerism. In addition to teaching, my interest for the future is to develop a framework for student/mentor-guided service-learning projects that could be adopted by land grant universities as a part of fulfilling their mission to serve the community and for the betterment of society. Before Washington, I grew up in New Jersey. Since France, I have lived in Idaho, Washington, Ohio, Virginia, and now Oregon, where I would like to stay until I move to the Mediterranean, whenever that happens... I enjoy the sun, the sea, food, yoga, singing, animals, debates, manual labor, and satire.
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Waddell, Trevor As an undergraduate at Oregon State University I studied engineering and political science. I ultimately earned my undergraduate degree in political science, but my interest in science and technology policy persisted so I decided to further my study in the MPP program. My primary focus is national space policy. My thesis recasts the history of NASA’s manned spaceflight program and U.S. national space policy as a case study of institutional and economic path dependency. Specifically, this recasting will serve as the basis for a detailed investigation into the events that led to the cancellation of NASA’s Project Constellation (2004-2010); the adoption of the 2010 National Space Policy; and the subsequent events that established NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS). In addition to my academic work, I had the honor of interning at NASA Headquarters where I researched international aerospace development policy and opportunities for collaboration. I also co-founded a national nonprofit foundation and advocacy campaign that seeks to make the case for increased public investment in science, technology, and the national space program.
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Wall, Conor
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Weisenhaus, Abby
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Whinnery, Jaynie Lynn Originally from Bay City, a small town on the Oregon Coast, I moved to Corvallis in 2002 to purse my undergraduate degree at OSU in mechanical engineering. After graduating I worked as an engineer at Hewlett-Packard for a few years and also began volunteering with Engineers Without Borders. During this time I became increasingly interested in returning to school to focus global access to water and sanitation. I began my graduate studies in environmental engineering to understand water treatment technology, but decided to also pursue an MPP because of the integral role of society, economics, and policy in international development. Currently I am most interested in the impact, ownership, and sustainability of global water and sanitation initiatives. |
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Yasuo, Mika I graduated from University of Puget Sound in 2006 with a BA in Business Administration. After college, I worked at Polaris Project in Washington, DC for a short time, and then helped to develop an anti-human trafficking organization in the south of Kazakhstan for the U.S. Peace Corps. Once I returned to the United States, I worked on resource development and grant writing at a Boys and Girls Club. I am currently on the international track in the Public Policy program and would like to focus on anti-human trafficking and human rights issues.
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Yorth, Bunny Bunny was born in Battambang province, Cambodia, where is home to the good, the bad and the ugly because these can be easily observed in this country. He did his undergraduate degree in law (Cambodia) and graduate degree in development studies (Vietnam and Switzerland). He has more than six-year working experience in the areas of advocacy, human rights, community development and natural resources. In the last few years, however, Bunny was very much involved with higher work responsibilities, especially at UNDP, from which he could see complex relationships among citizens, government and non-state actors and also understand the necessity of policies in supporting their work as well as protecting the richness of social, cultural and natural resources in Cambodia. Therefore, he is now pursuing this master of public policy at Oregon State University, aiming to graduate with social and international policy skills. |
