Presley Franklin is an MPA candidate with a focus in policy analysis. She lives in Washington, D.C. and brings over three years of professional experience to the program. Presley currently works at IT Concepts, Inc., a small consulting firm in the D.C. metro area, which provides business management consulting and IT engineering to federal clients including the Air Force, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Social Security Administration.
The program administrators have built a program that meets me where I am without sacrificing academic rigor.
Why did you choose the O’Neill Online MPA program?
O’Neill Online was a unique program that met all my requirements for graduate school. I wanted a program that was highly ranked, reasonably affordable, and flexible enough to let me continue working full-time.
How has the flexibility of the online program helped you to balance all of your responsibilities?
The professors are very aware that most of their students are working professionals with busy lives. The classes are structured with enough flexibility for students who have other restraints on their time to stay engaged and meet their deadlines. The program administrators have built a program that meets me where I am without sacrificing academic rigor.
What are your main academic/policy areas of interest and what led you to those interests?
My focus is policy analysis; this area of interest came from my undergraduate studies at the University of Georgia and from my professional experience. My work at in federal consulting has largely been focused on program development and support. Understanding the history of a program, where it came from, how it is funded, and what laws and policies enable it to exist are elemental to running a successful program. Many federal programs get lost in the bureaucracy and have trouble modernizing and making smart policy changes. Obtaining my MPA with O'Neill Online will give me additional skills to solve these types of problems.
Is there anything else you would like prospective students to know about you or your experience in the program?
I was worried initially that an online program would feel inauthentic and not being able to interact in-person with my professors and classmates would lessen the experience. However, after starting classes, my worries vanished. The professors were very engaging and wanted their students to share their opinions and viewpoints on different issues. The discussion boards facilitated interactions between students that forced me to consider new ideas and ways of looking at problems.
