Boitshoko Molefhi, a first year MPP candidate, is passionate about bio-ethics, education policy, and sustainable community development.
Boitshoko, who also goes by Bo, desires to work as a consultant between public and private sectors related to his areas of interest. Bo’s long-term goal is to teach policy and methodology.
Before joining the MPP program, Bo worked for Seed of Gratitude Foundation, a non-profit in Botswana, where he designed operational frameworks for projects and evaluated programs funded by the foundation. Bo states that his role was “pivotal in understanding the importance of both the funders and community-based organizations.” However, Bo believes that it is essential for community-based organizations to seek self-sustaining financing in the long-term for the benefits of increased flexibility and control.
In addition to policy work, Bo also worked as a photographer for the organization. Bo suggests to “be water – allow yourself to flow, adjust, learn, and be an asset in whatever way you can within the organization,” as the possibilities can be endless when you are open to new experiences. Bo advises future students to never sell themselves short, adding “the worst they can say is no, and the best thing that can happen is having the experience of a lifetime!”. Besides photography, Bo’s other hobbies include writing, music production, cooking, and co-creating.
Chayse Hurley, MSU Master of Public Policy student, is passionate about criminal justice policy and plans to use legislation to reform the prison system. She is interested in rehabilitation of the incarcerated and the school to prison pipeline. Chayse plans to practice criminal defense and then focus on crafting legislation. 
Congratulations to Tyler Thur, Alex Stegbauer, and Ming Wu on being awarded the Ira Polley Memorial Scholarship! Tyler, Alex, and Ming were selected for the Ira Polley Memorial Scholarship for their excellent academic performance and recommendations from faculty and MPP Director.
Tyler Thur (pictured right) is interested in environmental policy, and interned as a policy analyst with Anderson Economic Group last summer.
Ming Wu, a second year Master of Public Policy student, is interested in public policy because she desires to solve societal problems. She is particularly interested in quantitative analysis and using data to better understand political issues. Ming is focused on education, health, and environmental policy. She hopes to one day work for a government institution or a NGO. 
Cristian Martinez-Medina entered the MSU Master of Public Policy program in Fall 2018 because he aspires to be a bridge between public policy and local communities. He strongly believes that public policy is a key tool for social innovation. Cristian hopes to assist his local community in Puerto Rico, as well as Hispanic communities throughout the United States, in gaining a stronger voice in public policy.
Lauren Hamelink, a second-year Master of Public Policy student, interned with nonprofit organization Hands Along the Nile Development Services (HANDS) in Washington D.C. over the summer. 
Alexa Kramer is currently the Public Policy Coordinator for Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, where she works with education policy and tax and regulatory affairs. In her day-to-day work, Alexa spends her time advocating on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce members. Alexa has always been passionate about education policy, and previously focused her MPP capstone project on the best practices of charter schools. She advised current MPP students to choose a capstone topic they are passionate about, as it will reflect in the work. She also stressed that is essential to figure out what type of topic is both meaningful and realistic, especially in terms of the time and resources one has to complete the research. 
Vinny Szczerowski is currently a Health Policy Analyst for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. He works in the Government and Regulatory Affairs department, where he interprets legislation from Washington D.C. into understandable content for different segments of the Blue Cross enterprise. During his time at MSU, Vinny focused on health policy and centered his capstone project on Veteran healthcare policy. Vinny explained that the work he does now in his health policy analyst role directly relates to the work from his capstone project. He believes developing a strong elevator pitch, by highlighting the key and succinct details about your research, is very important for successful capstone forum presentations. 
Master of Public Policy at MSU 