PPPM 2010 Distinguished Alumna Event

Korrin B.

October 24, 2010 - 7:00 PM

This term, I have a work-study position with the Planning, Public Policy and Management department's Internship Program. Some of my main responsibilities include helping plan PPPM events, encouraging undergraduate participation in department events, updating the student news board, and researching internship funding resources. My most recent task included helping to plan for the PPPM 2010 Distinguished Alumna Event and I think that it was quite a success!

Last year, Mariza A. Rogers was awarded the PPPM 2010 Distinguished Alumna award at the PPPM 2010 Annual Awards Event. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend the event because she was working in Haiti at the time on humanitarian aid projects after the devastating earthquake. Fortunately, however, she was able to visit our department this year and speak to students about her experiences. I think that students left the event inspired with what a degree in our program can lead to.

Mariza graduated from the PPPM Department in 1993 with a master's in public affairs, as well as one in international studies. After graduation, Mariza served as a Presidential Management Intern with the U.S. State Department and then went on to work for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Mariza's past 14 years of work with the USAID have taken her all over the world, including Kosovo, Bosnia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Philippines, East Timor, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Darfur, and, most recently, Haiti.

There are a lot of students interested in taking their work around the world after graduation and I think that Mariza's talk showed students that this dream is possible. After her talk, students had the opportunity to ask questions and Mariza did a wonderful job providing meaningful, thoughtful responses to each of them.

It is moments like these that remind me why I chose to be a Planning, Public Policy and Management major in the first place. It is a wonderful department full of knowledgeable professors, supportive staff, endless opportunities, and inspiring alumni to back it all up. I am looking forward to working with the PPPM Department for the rest of this year, planning more events for undergraduates, and promoting the Department's work throughout the University.