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Monica Ealey, MPA 2009: A mid-year MPA graduate with a concentration in Urban Policy/Management
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Monica Ealey was a “J-termer,” and graduated in December of 2009. She received her undergraduate degree from SUNY Stony Brook where she graduated cum laude with a major in Political Science and a minor International Studies. After graduating from college, she worked for the City of New York in two different agencies in various capacities for 5 years.
Did you choose to attend SIPA to change careers, or to gain experience in a career path you already had experience in?
“I decided to get my MPA at SIPA when I began getting fed up with the lack of innovation and management styles I encountered. I chose SIPA because I enjoyed working with a diverse group in city government and SIPA had representation from around the world.”
Have you taken classes at other Columbia Schools?
“I have taken classes at the Planning School and the School of Public Health, and found that the variety of thought in these schools allowed me to look at policy and problems in a different light. Sharing ideas with people from different disciplines have allowed me to get a comprehensive view of policy issues.”
What experiences do you think prepared you at SIPA?
“The SIPA experiences that most prepared me for the real world, is the ability to stand behind your decisions if you are able to support them with data. We have learned that all answers will not always be definitive but if you can support your decisions with the best information available to you at the time then you have done the most you can do.
I’ve also learned that if any problem is going to be solved it will take a multidisciplinary approach and it is this mindset that will set me apart from the rest.”
[2010]