MPA Alumni Spotlight: Cecilia Horvick, '23

I'm originally from Holly Springs, North Carolina and I received my BA in History and Anthropology in 2017.   After graduation, I did a service year with AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps from 2017 to 2018 and then joined the Peace Corps in 2018 and served in Malawi as a Health Extension volunteer.  In 2021, I started in the MPA program and am now in my last semester.  I currently work as a Management Intern with the City of Tucson’s Manager's Office and as a Graduate Research Assistant with the Student Aid for Field Epidemiology Research Team (SAFER). 

I chose the MPA program because my AmeriCorps and Peace Corps service showed me the value of public service and I felt passionate about wanting to continue working with communities and local organizations to tackle policy issues.  I am enrolled both in the MPA program and the Collaborative Governance Certificate program and both sides of this program have given me the tools to work in local government and with community partners to find collaborative ways of addressing the problems that communities face every single day.  Through this experience, I have gained an education in conflict management, policy issues, analyzing policies and programs, and leadership skills that I will carry with me throughout my career.  My future career goals are currently to continue working in government, at either the local or county level on various policy issues such as affordable housing or addressing climate change.