Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA) Spec. Honours (Law, Justice and Public Policy) and Treasurer for the Public Policy and Administration Student Association (PPASA)

My name is John Soriano. I am currently a second-year undergraduate student studying Public Administration, and specializing in the Law, Justice and Public Policy stream. Growing up, I have always had a passion for law, economics, and politics as these three aspects of society are pivotal instruments in our modern day society. After graduating from high school, I wanted to study the psychology behind our government/state, when addressing public concerns within the framework of the law. The program I chose before discovering Public Administration, was Law and Society which only focuses on law and its Canadian historical context. Fortunately, before making my final decision, a close friend of mine recommended the Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA) program, which has a wide variety of courses that include all of my interests.

My first year at York was a major transition as the workload and marking scheme between the two levels of education were vastly different, but with the guidance of my mentors and friends I met during orientation, I was able to succeed and develop socially. Despite the small BPA community, the program is home to the most brilliant and caring professors of the University. Courses that correspond with what my interests are: AP/PPAS 2200 3.0 Communities and Public Law with Professor Sirvan Karimi, and AP/PPAS 2420 3.0 Community Policing with Professor Kirk Atkinson, which are both public law courses that are broken down into simple and organized lectures for students regardless of the complicated language of law.

At the beginning of my 2017-2018 year, the position of Treasurer for the Public Policy and Administration Student Association (PPASA) became vacant and had the chance to take it on. So far, being part of PPASA has been one of the most exhilarating experiences I have had at York University. As an introvert, I was initially against meeting new people, but as the year progressed, I slowly began to open up and make new friends while building mentor-student relationships with my professors.
Overall, I highly encourage everyone to participate in extracurricular activities (such as attending events hosted by PPASA) as not only will this help build your network, it will also expand your horizon, enhance your skills and encourage self-development by exposure to environments outside your comfort zone.

The best investment is investing in yourself. – John Soriano