October 10, 2002 - National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration: Melissa K. Bridges, Municipal Development Volunteer, Peace Corps Honduras

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Honduras: Peace Corps Honduras: The Peace Corps in Honduras: October 10, 2002 - National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration: Melissa K. Bridges, Municipal Development Volunteer, Peace Corps Honduras

By Admin1 (admin) on Saturday, June 21, 2003 - 8:15 am: Edit Post

Melissa K. Bridges, Municipal Development Volunteer, Peace Corps Honduras



Melissa K. Bridges, Municipal Development Volunteer, Peace Corps Honduras

Melissa K. Bridges
Municipal Development Volunteer, Peace Corps Honduras

School: University of Arkansas – Fayetteville, Arkansas
Degree/Concentration: Masters in Public Administration
Year of graduation: December 1999
Undergraduate Major: Political Science

* How did you select your graduate school and how did it prepare you for your career?
* Work or internship experience during graduate school
* What was the most important or useful course you took in the MPA/MPP?
* Were you a Presidential Management Intern?
* What has been your career path since graduating? What do you want to be doing in 5 years?
* What is the most exciting and/or interesting aspect of your current job?
* Do you feel your MPA/MPP is helping you to “make a difference?” How?
* What advice, if any, would you give to an undergraduate thinking about going for an MPA/MPP?


How did you select your graduate school and how did it prepare you for your career?

> Before graduating from the undergraduate program I was looking at the possibility of Law School, but one of my professors in the Political Science Department asked me if I had considered the MPA program. I decided to apply and was accepted to the program. The classes available through the U of A were both theoretical and practical. When I left the classroom to finish my degree with a six-month internship, I felt I was well prepared to enter the field of public administration.

Any work or internship experience during graduate school?

> The program at the University of Arkansas offers an internship program in lieu of a thesis to graduate. Since I did not have any real experience in the area of public administration outside of my activities at the University, this was a wonderful opportunity for me. I completed a six-month internship in the Mayor’s office with the City of Little Rock. Due to this internship, I was hired as a full-time employee and worked for the Mayor and City Manager’s Office for four years before leaving to join the Peace Corps.

What was the most important or useful course you took in the MPA/MPP?

> The most useful courses that I took in the MPA program included: Public/Private Finances; GIS for Social Sciences (parts I & II); and Quantitative Methods (parts I & II). I believe these were the most helpful to me because they were the most practical and included skills that I could take to the workplace and that I still use today.

Were you a Presidential Management Intern?

> No.

What has been your career path since graduating? What do you want to be doing in 5 years?

> As I stated previously, I worked for the City of Little Rock in several different positions over the course of my four years with them. I served as the Administrative Coordinator for the Mayor and Board of Director’s Office; also as the Assistant Director of the Mayor’s Youth Council; and finally as the Mayoral Assistant before leaving the City in November 2000 to prepare for my trip to Honduras to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I am serving for two years in Honduras in the Municipal Development Program. I have completed nineteen months of my service and am contemplating extending a third year to work as a Volunteer Coordinator in the Peace Corps Honduras headquarters.

Currently, I am registering to take the State Department’s Foreign Service Exam this September. My plan is to be working in the area of international development either as a member of the Embassy staff, US-AID staff or with some other international development agency. I have always had an interest in this area and my experiences here in Honduras with Peace Corps have only served to expand that interest.

What is the most exciting and/or interesting aspect of your current job?

> The most exciting aspect of being a Municipal Development Volunteer is the ability to share my knowledge and experience with the municipal employees and the citizen groups in my community. Honduras is currently in the process of decentralizing the national government and giving more autonomy and therefore more responsibility to the local governments. Due to this process, I am able to share my knowledge that I gained from the MPA program and my experience working in municipal government with my counterparts. Of course, learning to share all of this information in another language adds to the excitement. I can proudly state that my community has already initiated some of my ideas and the Mayor of the capital city of Honduras is instituting programs that I shared with him while he was still a candidate last year.

Do you feel your MPA/MPP is helping you to “make a difference?” How?

> My MPA is helping me make a difference in several ways. First, if I had not completed the program I would not have had the opportunity to work with the City of Little Rock to gain the priceless experience I was afforded in my time there. Second, the fact that I have a Master’s level education makes me an instant expert in the world of Peace Corps Volunteers and in my community. Finally, I feel that my MPA in conjunction with my experiences since graduation will help make a difference in my goal to continue working in the area of international development.

What advice, if any, would you give to an undergraduate thinking about going for an MPA/MPP?

> If you have any interest in working in the public arena, whether it is with an NGO, local, state, national or international agencies an MPA/MPP is a great key to help unlock the doors to a variety of job opportunities and experiences that are not available without it.



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Story Source: National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Honduras; Municipal Development

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