My MPA Experience Archives

Class of 2020: Jordan Akers

May 19, 2020

As the 2019–20 school year comes to an end, we’re sharing the college choice stories of the Class of 2020!

In what grade did you come to MPA?

I came originally in PreK, but left for seventh and eighth grade. I returned in ninth upon realizing the MPA experience is unique and unparalleled.

How did you come to choose the college that you did?

I chose Yale University because I wanted to study at a place with elements of both a small liberal arts college and a large research university. Additionally, the opportunities in my areas of study (environmental studies and music) are stellar compared to many of the other schools to which I applied. Located in New Haven, I was also extremely attracted to Yale’s proximity to New York City (a simple train ride away!). Read More

Class of 2020: Jerusalem Thao

May 15, 2020

As the 2019–20 school year comes to an end, we’re sharing the college choice stories of several members of the Class of 2020!

In what grade did you come to MPA?

I came to MPA in 10th grade.

How did you come to choose the college that you did?

My cousin previously attended St. Olaf, and it really caught my eye. I also liked the fact that it’s a small school where there are smaller class sizes.

What are you most excited about as you embark on your college experience?

I am mostly excited for the people and connections I will make in college.

Class of 2020: Katie Goodno

May 14, 2020

As the 2019–20 school year comes to an end, we’re sharing the college choice stories of the Class of 2020!

In what grade did you come to MPA?

I came to MPA in fourth grade, which was the same year my sister Abby started in sixth grade, and two years after my sister Sara started at MPA in sixth grade also. When I shadowed in third grade, I didn’t want the day to be over because I loved the school and the people so much, which is why my parents and I made the easy decision to transfer to MPA.

How did you come to choose the college that you did?

I had no intention of going to college in Texas at all, in fact, I told my parents it was just a waste of time to visit Baylor. During spring break in my sophomore year, we were in Waco, so my mom told me I should visit Baylor. As soon as I got the tour of the campus I started envisioning myself there, and I loved it. In my senior year, I had forgotten about Baylor and didn’t really see a future there, until I visited again, and fell in love with it again. The thing that was most appealing to me was all the opportunities there were for me there and all the choices I had for majors and classes. I also am very excited about all the traditions there are and sports games! The thing that attracted me the most about Baylor was how welcoming and kind the community is. I’m very excited to join that community in the fall! Read More

Class of 2020: Txuj Ci Yang

May 11, 2020

As the 2019–20 school year comes to an end, we’re sharing the college choice stories of several members of the Class of 2020!

In what grade did you come to MPA?

I came to MPA in 9th grade.

How did you come to choose the college that you did?

I came to choose St. Catherine’s due to an overnight I attended in the fall! I was looking for a college with a supportive academic environment just like MPA. Upon my overnight at St. Kate’s, I experienced just that. The prospective students and the current students there were absolutely amazing. We clicked instantly. I was able to see how the current students interacted with each other and how much fun they had while still helping each other with their work. I also encountered dozens of amazing individuals who shared the same passion for learning and had wished for everyone around them to succeed!

What are you most excited about as you embark on your college experience?

I am most excited about branching out and meeting new people with different insights! I am not much of a talker, but I adore listening to people’s stories. I believe that they reveal their beliefs and dreams. Being able to listen to new people passionately talk about what they hold dearly to them inspires me daily to work harder in order to aid them in their path to success. Read More

Meet Isaac Marshall ’11

April 28, 2020

Meet 2019-20 Alumni Association Board member Isaac Marshall ’11!

After MPA, Isaac attended Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he closely studied health care delivery systems. He discovered a passion and interest that were key in making his career decisions later on. “I am inspired by professionals who have found mentors to engage their passions and expand their impact,” he said.

Isaac chose to pursue a position on the Alumni Association Board because he wants to help shape the future of MPA. Since graduating from MPA, he’s experienced the impact that his MPA education has had on his life. “From the first day of college and being prepared to write lengthy papers, to having professional confidence in my strengths, I can trace back several important traits to MPA and the learning that I engaged with there,” Isaac said.

Isaac sees himself supporting MPA both financially and in his role on the board. The “theme” of his support is directly related to MPA’s mission. Issac deeply believes that education is fundamental to growth and life-long success and life-long learning, and that MPA teaches these life-long skills in a way that produces learned and passionate students as each graduate goes out into the world and forges his or her own path. “I want to return to that organization that has impacted my path.”

MPA Goes Virtual: Dhruv Muppidi

April 22, 2020

This story series illustrates how our community is embracing, growing, and connecting through virtual learning together. Read on to hear MPA junior Dhruv Muppidi’s experience as #MPAgoesvirtual!

Upon beginning virtual learning, Dhruv said he was feeling a little bit of anxiousness, but a lot of excitement. To establish a sense of normalcy, he’s been sticking to a familiar routine and curating a classroom space at home.

“It’s important to get into a regular schedule and stick to it. As much as this feels like a break, I believe it’s critical to treat this process as similarly as possible to a normal week at school,” Dhruv said. For him, that means setting an alarm to continue waking up at 6:30 AM and being ready promptly at 8 AM to tune into his Global Voices class. Read More

MPA Goes Virtual: Elli Carlson

April 8, 2020

This story series illustrates how our community is embracing, growing, and connecting through virtual learning together. Read on to hear MPA senior Elli Carlson’s thoughts as #MPAgoesvirtual!

Away from campus, Elli has adapted to virtual learning in her at-home classroom, making sure it’s super cozy and an enjoyable place to attend her online classes in. In addition to her synchronous classes on Zoom, she is excited to further explore more online tools, such as peardeck.com.

Elli defines “virtual learning” as moving the MPA classroom to an online setting while maintaining the unique dynamics of the learning environment at MPA–and she agrees her teachers are successfully doing that and more.

“MPA teachers have already done a great job of taking initiative around virtual learning. By reaching out and showing students they are thinking ahead, they have always communicated that their doors are always open, in real life and online,” she said. “Thank you, MPA, for making this transition so seamless! We are all very lucky to have so many avenues to communicate in this situation.”

MPA Goes Virtual: Isak Dai

March 25, 2020

This story series illustrates how our community is embracing, growing, and connecting through virtual learning together. Read on to see what MPA junior Isak Dai looks forward to as #MPAgoesvirtual!

While virtual learning may look and feel different than a regular school day, Isak breaks it down in a way that makes it feel very familiar, even away from campus–to him, virtual learning is “bundling up the work we do at school and doing it at home through the internet.”

“Before our current situation, we certainly were practicing some aspects of virtual learning by accessing online resources like Schoology, but now have been forced to take all of MPA online,” he said. “My hope is that through this challenge we can learn to take advantage of the many virtual learning resources at our disposal and take these lessons with us when we eventually return to school as usual.” Read More

MPA Goes Virtual: Kaija Kunze-Hoeg

March 20, 2020

This story series illustrates how our community is embracing, growing, and connecting through virtual learning together. Read on to see what MPA sophomore Kaija Kunze-Hoeg looks forward to as #MPAgoesvirtual!

Kaija tells us that she is excited to try this new style of learning. “To me, virtual learning is a new, innovative take on what a classroom looks like,” she says. “I expect to have to learn to focus harder as I will have more things that can distract me when I am learning from home.”

Knowing this may be a challenge for her, Kaija is preparing to set up her workspace to help her stay on task and continue achieving academically. MPA recommends starting with a quiet, well-lit area with strong Internet connection and a clean, clear working space to continue joyful learning away from campus. “I am going to try to make my at-home ‘classroom’ pretty close to what it would be at school so I can feel more engaged in my classwork,” she says. “I will use a desk, but it will just be more cozy.” Read More

Meet Jeremy Drucker ’97

March 9, 2020

Meet 2019-20 Alumni Association Board member Jeremy Drucker ’97!

Jeremy Drucker is a public affairs consultant working with non-profits, businesses, and governments to help them achieve their public policy objectives. Before finding his path in social justice and leadership, he was originally training to be an English Literature professor, but transitioned during graduate school to government and strategic communications work. “The skills I learned at MPA served me well in both settings,” he said. “They taught me how to write, they taught me how to speak, and they taught me how to think.”

Jeremy’s MPA experience of rigorous curriculum combined with caring, detail-oriented instruction formed the groundwork not just for him to utilize his passions personally and professionally, but also to organize them toward a globally positive goal.

Now, chooses to serve on the MPA Alumni Association Board for a variety of reasons. “MPA was very important to my educational, professional, and life development. I want to see it remain that way for others,” he said. “I’d like to see the board continue deepening the commitment of alumni to the school both personally and financially. Providing avenues such as the alumni-student mentorship program is a great way to do that.”