Personal Statement

"The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life." – Jane Addams

I entered the San Francisco State University MPA program in the fall of 2005, five years after completion of my BA in Sociology also at SFSU. While my work experience until that time had primarily been in the private sector - managing a labor and employment law firm and several restaurants - I have always been attracted to issues of Social Justice & Equity and Harm Reduction approaches to public health problems. It was with a desire to make a difference in these fields that I began my MPA coursework. As I have progressed through the degree, I have solidified my commitment to these issues, particularly in the areas of adolescent health and LGBT rights. Shortly before the Fall 2007 semester, I joined the staff of Horizons Foundation, an LGBT community foundation engaged in social justice philanthropy. 

Project work has afforded me the opportunity to study in-depth the affects of the United States Federal Abstinence-only Sex Education Policy on LGBT and adolescent populations, framing the issues as matters of public health. Some aspect of Abstinence-only sex education has been the focus of several major projects, including a major research paper on the efficacy of the program; the effect on Federal Funding to local harm reduction nonprofits; and a comprehensive policy briefing. I hope to continue to explore these issues in my professional life.

When asked to consult with agencies for class projects, I have sought out HIV/AIDS nonprofits and sex-positive sex education nonprofits. My coursework for The Center for Sex & Culture (CSC) lead to my tenure as a member of their advisory board at the beginning of 2007. In the spring of 2008 I was voted onto CSC’s board of directors and subsequently voted into the position of board Treasurer, giving me the opportunity to apply what I have learned through the program in a professional setting. 

At the organizational level, I am particularly interested in long-term strategic planning, public-sector research, policy analysis, program evaluation, and networked service delivery. I am also interested in policy formation, advocacy and systems change.I wish to utilize the skills I developed in the MPA program in nonprofits and other public agencies engaged in social justice work or which are focused on LGBT rights and/or adolescent health.

I feel privileged to have shared my learning process with so many bright and talented fellow students, and honored to have learned from them as well as a stellar faculty. I am grateful to the program for so many opportunities to work in the field in order to bring reality to our curricula. As I complete the MPA program, I leave with the confidence that I have developed the knowledge, skills and abilities to be an effective public/nonprofit manager.

 

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