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USC Price Blog

Get the latest news and highlights featuring students and faculty from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy’s online programs.

Hear from USC Price Online students, alumni, and faculty.

November 21, 2024

USC Price grads help California city electrify vehicle fleet

Students identified ways to electrify Rancho Cucamonga’s fleet to cut emissions, save money, and comply with state climate regulations. When the California city of Rancho Cucamonga decided to electrify its vehicle fleet, Lindsay McElwain knew who to call. McElwain, the city’s Management Analyst III for Public Works, contacted her former professors at the USC Price…

November 15, 2024

How Can Veterans Navigate the Transition from Military to Civilian Life?

Luther Davis, Thomas Mitchell and Erica Pechek each transitioned from the military to civilian life for different reasons. Here’s how they dealt with the major change while leveraging the leadership skills they learned at USC to build their futures. After eight years in the Air Force, Luther Davis wanted to live closer to his family…

November 7, 2024

Siblings in USC Price Online Master’s Program Share Path to Career Advancement

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…

October 29, 2024

Online Student Leverages Health Administration Degree to Switch Careers, Serve Veterans

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…

October 2, 2024

Q&A: “Is an MPA worth it?” A Sacramento-based alum in government and public administration thinks it is

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…

September 18, 2024

Q&A: Engineer turned nonprofit consultant pursued MPA Online for second master’s degree 

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…

September 5, 2024

Q&A: Director of emergency services highlights impact of Trojan Network

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…

August 16, 2024

Q&A: First generation grad motivated to address energy and sustainability issues  

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:…

July 12, 2024

Q&A: Political science major turns to the MPA Online to focus on his public service career 

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…

July 8, 2024

Q&A: MPA Online gives hard working mom the skills to land job at one of the big four consulting firms 

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…

June 18, 2024

USC Price grads win top award advising nonprofit choir

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…

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