UNC MPA Winter 2024 Graduation

Graduates of the UNC Master of Public Administration program gathered Saturday, December 14 to celebrate commencement. Friends, faculty, and staff convened to honor the 16 graduates as they begin the next phase of their public service journey.

During the ceremony, graduates were hooded and pinned by UNC MPA Director Willow Jacobson. In her remarks, she congratulated her former students on their successful completion of the program and urged them to remain passionate in their pursuit of public service—a hallmark trait of UNC MPA graduates.

“Congratulations to the Master of Public Administration graduates. Your dedication, hard work, and passion for public service have brought you to this momentous achievement,” she said. “The mission of the MPA program is  ‘to prepare public service leaders and create useable knowledge that improves governance.’  The leaders graduating today join an amazing alumni base that continues to have meaningful and impactful change in the organization and communities in which they work.  We are incredibly proud of you and excited to see the remarkable contributions you will make in the future.”

Congratulations to our December graduates:

Alexander Canan

Mariya Carrier

Stacey Conner

Natalee Dally

Laura Gomez-Nichols

Olivia Jessup

Jenna Kubiak

Malasia McClendon

Madeline Milligan

Cristina Ortiz

Thomas Persico

Mary Propst

Fernando Santillan

William Summer

Krystal Wallick

Audrey Wheeler

Read about two of our recent graduates – Madeline Milligan and William Summer as they tell us about their post-graduation plans and how the MPA has helped shape their career.