USC Price Blog

For Master of Public Administration (MPA) alumnus Bryce Steeves, family ties fueled his success in the online program. Reflecting on his Trojan journey — and the pivotal decision he and his sister, Allison Irvin, made to apply — Bryce Steeves is looking forward to advancing his career in the federal government. (Photo: Courtesy of Bryce…

After observing that many of his patients struggled to navigate the complexities of the health care system, David Cheng decided to pursue an online graduate degree in health administration to streamline health care delivery and enhance the patient experience. David Cheng pivoted his career to Associate Chief of Staff for Rehabilitation and Extended Care at…

Vance Jarrard is a legislative advocate for the North State Building Industry Association, representing more than 500 member companies in the home building industry in Northern California. In 2021, he graduated from the USC Price Master of Public Administration online, bringing with him a robust background in public policy from his tenure in the Legislature…

Leslie Best is a 2016 Master of Public Administration online graduate as well as the managing partner and president of two organizations: The Best Group and In Good Company Consulting. With an undergraduate degree and a master’s in engineering, Best discusses how the MPA Online program’s flexibility and practical knowledge helped her navigate a significant…

Dr. Christopher Foster, originally from a small town in South Georgia, has served in the military and holds a PhD in Emergency Management. In his current role as director of emergency services, he is responsible for the police and fire departments, creating VIP protection plans, and managing budgets. Dr. Foster, who graduated from the Master…

Master of Public Administration online graduate Paola Najera has a background in various sectors, including energy, finance, and nonprofit. As a first-generation Guatemalan Latina, she balanced professional responsibilities with academic pursuits. Najera, who graduated in 2024, discusses her motivations, experiences, and future aspirations just before landing her new role in Global Communications at Visa. Q:…

During the pandemic Nicolas Rodriguez was laid off from his sales and marketing job in the private sector, prompting him to reflect on his career path. With a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, he decided to return to his passion for the government and nonprofit sectors. Now, the 2024 USC Price Master of Public Administration…

Katherine Cooley is a senior consultant at Deloitte, focusing on regulatory and compliance issues for government clients. She graduated from the USC Price Master of Public Administration online in 2018 with a concentration in city and county management. Cooley reflects on her decision to pursue the MPA program online, her initial goal of becoming a…

As Tony Domenick and Blake Nawa’a sang at venues across Colorado, they often dreamed of a more collaborative choir.  The professional singers usually worked with choirs run by a sole artistic director, resulting in poor solutions to rehearsal problems, less diverse musical repertoires, or little use of other experts. Domenick and Nawa’a imagined a choir…

Pivoting from a museum career to a role in the nonprofit sector, alumna Kate Kelly is using her Master of Public Administration (MPA) to enact change in foster care. Many people begin college with a dream job in mind, working throughout their undergraduate years to realize their career goals. Not everyone, however, finds satisfaction in…