Student Leader Spotlight: Ericka Persson MPA ’25

Ericka has lived in New York for the last 13 years, and came to SIPA to study disinformation in relation to elections and democracy. Her decision to go back to school to find solutions for digital disinformation was inspired by her full-time job as a political strategist for the Working Families Party, where she’s been working for the past seven years. Ericka works primarily on District Attorney elections across the country, and after seeing the disinformation about the court system, crime, and the role of the DA due to a lack of media literacy, a manipulation of engagement-drive algorithms, and moneyed interests rigging the game in their favor — she made the decision to go to school and find policy solutions as they apply to electoral campaigns. She’s even implementing some of the best practices she's finding on active campaigns right now, including her most recent big win in Houston.

Advice to SIPA students:

Closed mouths don’t get fed! Especially in New York City. If you want something, you need to ask for it (maybe even with a “hard ask” approach, as we say in political fundraising work). The worst anyone can ever say is no, and all “no”  does is prune down the options that aren't meant for you.

IPA Campus Involvement/Leadership Position(s):

President of Civic and Voter Registration (CiVec)

Degree: MPA 
Concentration: ISP
Specialization: TMaC