4th year Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA) Specialized Honours student, Policy Analysis stream.

My current experience so far in the (Bachelor of Public Administration) BPA program stands out compared to other bigger programs. SPPA’s interdisciplinary approach allows students to be well-prepared future professionals to work in different areas of the public sector, from economic and social development, infrastructure, public health, climate change and to emergency management. The program and its professors teach not just the theory, but also provide students with the necessary skills and share their experiences creating public policy and government programs.

Currently, in PPAS 4200 Applied Policy Analysis, I am learning about different models of policy analysis and how to apply them to a real-life group projects for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa). As student-researchers, we help identify actionable recommendations and creating the Inquiry Terms of Reference to improve local public health and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the guidance of our instructor, my fellow group mates and I practise writing briefing notes, understanding what Terms of Reference are and how to create one, while developing our communication and project management skills.

Through the PPAS 4995 Practicum Program course, this academic year (2022-23 F/W), I am currently placed at the City of Vaughan Emergency Planning division. During my placement, I was able to participate in two chemical leak simulation exercises, in collaboration with CN Cargo Flow and with a private gas company. It showed me the importance of stakeholder relations to response effectiveness in emergency management. I had the opportunity to sit in on one of the city’s Emergency Management Committee meetings where they discussed amendments to the Emergency Management Plan. Currently, I am assigned to update the Hazardous Material Sites List and to create a Vulnerable Persons Sites list within Vaughan allowing Fire & Rescue Service better situational awareness during responses.

In Program Evaluation I and II (PPAS 4310, 4320), the professor taught us the program evaluation principles and theory, guided us to use our critical thinking skills to understand the strengths and weaknesses of different evaluation methods and to understand the use of quantitative and qualitative research. Through this course, my group mates and I are able to apply these skills in practice, by creating an evaluation for Na-Me-Res a Native Men Residents Affordable Housing Initiative and its services.

Apart from my academic pursuits, becoming active in student clubs like the  Public Policy and Administration Student Association (PPASA) as an executive member provided me with a positive university life experience. PPASA and the SPPA community often hold networking and professional development events for students to socialize, and engage with professors and working alumni in the public sector. Through PPASA, I was able to create meaningful connections and build friendships with some of my classmates, and support each other through good times and bad.

Additionally, the SPPA and McLaughlin College also encourage students to step out of their comfort zone and try new things. So in my free time, I volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross Emergency Response Team, assisting those who are impacted by disasters, applying the skills and knowledge I gained to good use, and giving back to the community. Through this volunteer role not only have I gained new skills, but I am also able to better understand, first-hand, how disadvantaged minority groups are affected during a disaster, and not just through readings and the news. At the very beginning, before I applied to York University, I wasn’t aware of the existence of the BPA program, as it seemed overshadowed by bigger programs like Political Science, Law and Society and Criminology. I want to say thank you to the students and faculty representatives at the Ontario University Fair in 2018, without their recommending the BPA program to me, my life would have been much different, and I wouldn't be the person I am today.