MPP Alumni Spotlight: Sarah Dorsey, '23

I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona in 2016 with a BA in Anthropology. I've lived in Tucson since 2012, which is when I moved here from Vermont to pursue my education. I'll probably move back east at some point to be closer to family, but in the meantime, I love my adopted hometown of Tucson!  Currently, I am the General Manager of the Aloft Tucson University hotel and received this promotion at the beginning of September.

My interest in water policy was the reason I selected the Master of Public Policy program. Moving from Vermont to Arizona made it exceptionally clear that access to water is threatened pretty much everywhere -- whether that is due to water quality or water availability. For a long while, I wasn't certain what I wanted to do about that but decided that working from a policy angle was the best way to enact some of the changes that I want to see.

Since starting the MPP program, I think that I've learned to be a little less hard on myself when it comes to personal expectations, and to forgive myself if I miss a class once a semester or get a B on an assignment. Additionally, the MPP program has really helped me to critically evaluate policies rather than just have a gut reaction to them.

Upon graduation in May 2023, I think that I'd like to either work for a non-profit water or environmental based organization or to work for the Bureau of Reclamation as a policy analyst.