As finals season approaches, many first-year (or in my case, second-year) students at GSE are still trying to figure out the ideal study spots on campus, the ones where they can crank out fifteen-pagers and study for statistics exams like nobody’s business. In my three semesters at Penn, I’ve cultivated a solid rotation of options (though I’m always looking for that next best spot). Below, I’...
Alexandra Bird, '19
Education Policy and Public Administration (Dual Degree), M.S.Ed.
Psychology and Russian Studies, B.A. Bucknell UniversityI am pursuing a dual graduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania in Education Policy and Public Administration. After graduating from Bucknell University in 2013, I taught elementary school for two years in rural Louisiana as a Teach For America corps member. At the end of my two-year commitment, I went on to work in the Office of Talent at the School District of Philadelphia, where I managed the recruitment and selection of Elementary teachers (K-6). Broadly, I’m interested in K-12 education policy and reform, particularly in the context of exploring systems and structures that preserve and sustain inequity and I am continually seeking ways to deepen my understanding of the educational landscape in Philadelphia. After graduation, I plan to work in a policy, strategy, or consulting role in the Philadelphia region.
Posts by Alexandra Bird, '19
Thursday, November 15, 2018
As an undergraduate, I always thought I’d go to graduate school -- I just didn’t know when, or for what. As college graduation approached, I didn’t have a clear idea about what kind of degree I wanted, likely because I was still unclear about what career I wanted to pursue. Though I’d entered college planning on becoming a clinical psychologist, I was leaving with the feeling that I wasn’t...