MORE ABOUT SANDY
Graduation Date: June 2007
Hometown: Ellsworth, Wisconsin
High School: Ellsworth High School
Awards & Achievements:
- Dean’s List
Campus Involvement:
- Office of Multicultural Affairs – Peer Mentor
- Association of Public Policy Students
Current Employment:
- DePaul University Bridge Program
Sandy Carr
Area of Study:Public Policy with a minor in Journalism
I chose my major because… I originally became a public policy major because I wanted to write about public policy events in the news as a journalist. However, after taking a few public policy studies classes, I realized how much this field interested me and I wanted to find a career in this area. I soon realized I would like to work for the government or a non-profit organization dealing with topics of social justice or global public policy issues.
I decided to attend DePaul because… after graduating from high school, I was ready to experience a city rich in culture and diversity. I chose to attend DePaul because of its location and its mission. DePaul is positioned in the middle of Chicago, which gives students the ability to experience college life alongside the real world. I also chose DePaul because the university community places a strong emphasis on hands-on learning by giving students the opportunity to become immersed in dealing with the problems that exist within society.
The learning environment here at DePaul is… open and allows for self-expression. Almost every professor I had in the four years I spent here encouraged discussion and critical thinking. It was easy to express ideas about issues discussed in class because most professors enjoy hearing students’ opinions. Also, most of the students in my public policy classes were engaged in the subject matter, which created an environment where people felt comfortable expressing themselves.
My favorite professor at DePaul is… Fassil Demissie. In my first class with Professor Demissie, we were asked to pick an emerging global city and write a paper discussing that city in the context of globalization. I turned in my first draft to him and it was returned to me covered in red marks. My first thought was that I was horrible writer, but after we reviewed and discussed his comments, he informed me that the first paper he turned in during graduate school had ten times more red marks than mine did. As a result, I learned critical writing skills and I attribute that to the immense amount of time he spent editing my paper with me and reviewing exactly what contextual improvements were necessary.
The class I most enjoyed here was… Urban Poverty taught by Professor Sampson. In this class, we were each assigned a child to tutor who was living in poverty. The first time I met my tutee and his family, I realized that the child’s parents spoke only a small amount of English and he was responsible for translating for the family. I soon understood the pressure that was put on this child and how mature he already was at such a young age. Through class lectures with Professor Sampson and my experience tutoring, I was able to conceptualize the struggles immigrants and those living in poverty face everyday. I realized how important it is to develop policies to help those in need to thrive in our society.
When I have free time, I like to… experience the city of Chicago either through music, cultural events, museums, or the lakefront. It is almost impossible to be bored in this city because there are so many amazing things going on each day. I also love the time I am able to spend sitting at a coffee shop and reading books of my own choice.
One thing I didn’t know about DePaul before coming was… how much time professors are willing to spend with individual students. There are a number of teachers who have devoted their time to helping me figure out my career path and have gone out of their way to spend time discussing my future with me. As a result, I ended up majoring in something I had never heard of before, public policy, which has come to be a field I am very passionate about.
The greatest thing about going to school in Chicago is… the culture and the diverse neighborhoods. I first learned about the many different neighborhoods in the city in my Explore Chicago class, Ethnic Neighborhoods in Chicago, where we studied and toured numerous neighborhoods. In my public policy capstone class on gentrification, I was able to focus my energy and studies on one neighborhood, Uptown, which really opened my eyes to the uniqueness of each area of the city, including the people within and the history behind it.
At DePaul, service learning is… strongly emphasized. In several of my classes, volunteering somewhere in the city was a requirement. This is the part of my classes that I loved, as we were able to experience hands-on critical issues in the city. Also, many students are involved in service learning on campus and I would often hear about and experience volunteer opportunities outside of class.
My experience at DePaul as a public policy major… was enlightening and important to the development of my future goals. There is a small core group of professors in public policy, so students have the opportunity to get to know their professors very well. As a result, the faculty is more than willing to help with planning out courses, finding internships, refining resumes, searching for jobs, and is genuinely enthusiastic about mentoring.
What I remember most about my current job and/or my internship… is the amount of knowledge I have gained. Three of the four years I spent at DePaul, I worked for the Bridge Program with the director, R.J. Isackson. R.J. was the professor of my first class at DePaul and when I ran into her my second year, she asked if I wanted to work with her and the program. I gladly accepted the offer and have grown as a person from my experiences with the program. When I first started I was shy and a bit reserved, but R.J. taught me how to be assertive, confident, and also many other qualities that have helped me to become the person I am today.
After graduation, I plan to… attend the Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. I will be studying either social policy or global public policy. I plan to use the skills I have learned at DePaul and apply them to my classes and experiences at the Humphrey Institute. I then hope to attain a career focused on issues such as poverty, inequality or foreign policy.
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