If you are ready for an intensive, highly demanding academic year, this program will both enhance your understanding of public affairs processes and provide you with the skills and knowledge you need to advance your career.
Egle Klekere (MPA, '21)
Why I chose an MPA: As a founder of communications consultancy I had reached a point where I wanted to deepen my knowledge and gain new energy for my own and my company's performance. I have always been motivated by the idea of creating a greater public good, working on projects of public interest, so MPA was the natural choice. I won a Fulbright scholarship and together with the scholarship providers we searched for the right program. I am very happy that it was Ford School and the University of Michigan, because I got much more than I had expected.
How classmates enhanced my experience: There were people from ten different countries and with a wide range of different backgrounds in public policy, so there were many different perspectives and experiences to hear when discussing the topics.
As an international student, I really appreciated how friendly and supportive the students from the U.S. were, from the contextual knowledge they were always willing to provide to the trips together where my coursemates introduced me to the U.S. and Michigan. I made one of my closest friends at Ford School, whom I still see regularly and we support each other professionally and privately.
Egle Klekere (MPA, '21) is the founder of her own communications consulting firm in Latvia. She was looking for a program to help deepen her knowledge and gain new energy for her own and her company's performance.
How has your work been influenced by your experience at the Ford School?
The Ford School not only broadened my horizons, but also gave me very practical and applicable skills and knowledge that I could immediately integrate into my work with public affairs clients. At the same time, Ford School has inspired and prepared me for doctoral studies. I have started my PhD focusing on policy making and communication processes involving affective computing. In addition, I have joined several research projects analyzing various aspects of strategic communication, public diplomacy, and public policy implementation, e.g. the NATO Strategic Communication Centre of Excellence where I co-authored the research on China's influences in the Nordic-Baltic information environment.
What was your favorite course?
The Ford School's MPA program was very intensive and there are a number of courses that have improved my professional performance. For example, Politics of Public Policy taught by Shobita Parthasarathy was very engaging, providing practice-oriented knowledge that helps anyone working in public policy to achieve their goals. I appreciated the integrated approaches throughout the program, which strengthened my leadership potential. It was excellent to be able to choose other University of Michigan courses alongside the Ford School. In my case, Non-Market Strategies and Big Data Analytics at the Ross School of Business were very valuable.
What was one of your memorable projects?
At the non-profit, AIR Alliance, I was welcomed into the team by excellent regtech professionals. This NGO is dedicated to ensuring that the digital transformation of finance is matched by the digital transformation of financial regulation. I learned a lot and it was very inspiring to put my knowledge into practice by developing a strategy to improve the social media presence of this excellent team
What is your best advice to an applicant trying to decide whether an MPA is right for them?
If you are ready for an intensive, highly demanding academic year, this program will both enhance your understanding of public affairs processes and provide you with the skills and knowledge you need to advance your career.
What is your best memory of your time at the Ford School?
I have fond memories of my time at the Ford School, not only because of the excellent program, my fellow students and professors, but also because Ann Arbor is a great place to live and study.