4th year Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA) Spec. Honours (Management Stream) with a Certificate in Intermediate French Proficiency

Director of Internal Affairs for the Public Policy and Administration Student Association (PPASA)

My name is Alyssa Offenheim, and I am currently in my fourth year of the Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA) program, specializing in Management and concurrently completing a certificate in Intermediate French Proficiency. My journey to this program began in high school, where I had ambitions to serve the public as a Crown attorney. At the time, this was the only career path that I understood to match my passion for law, equity, and human rights, and I believed that the BPA program would be the best program to prepare me for law school. Little did I know that the courses I would take in my first and second year in the BPA would change my perspective on everything – from where I wanted to go, who I wanted to be, and the type of change that I wanted to make. By the end of the first half of my undergrad – during which I took courses in economics, politics, law, and governance – I realized that the best fit for me would be a career in the public service.

My experience at York has been eye-opening and perfectly suited to my appetite for learning about absolutely everything. The BPA program is such a great fit for students who want to engage in theoretical learning from a variety of disciplines because of the mixture of courses offered and the opportunity to focus in on certain policy areas. Moreover, the program has offered invaluable experiential learning experiences such as AP/PPAS 4310/20 3.0 Program Evaluation I and II, wherein students deliver program evaluations to real-life clients. During my fourth year, I had the chance to work with a team on a real-life research project evaluating the TTC’s Public Art Program, providing me with experience securing ethical review, developing research methodologies, and managing a project. I also had the opportunity to complete a practicum at the Modernization Division of the Ministry of the Attorney General through the AP/PPAS 4995 6.0 Practicum in Public Administration course, where I applied my classroom project management skills to the workplace. These experiences, alongside the support and motivation of professors, solidified my interest in furthering my knowledge of the field, leading me to sign on to the first full-time offering of the Master of Public Policy, Administration and Law (MPPAL) program at York University starting in Fall 2019.

If I could offer advice to first year students, it would be to take advantage of the free credit space in your schedule to expose yourself to the subjects you are passionate about so that you know where you want to make a difference when you graduate. I would also suggest joining the Public Policy and Administration Student Association (PPASA) as early as possible, as this network of peers will stimulate your time at York with networking events and career panels. Your experience in this program is entirely what you make it, and fortunately, there are a hundred different ways to make it your own. – Alyssa Offenheim