by current UNC MPA student Hallie Springer

Hi! I am Hallie Springer, an almost-second year in the UNC MPA program. I was born and raised in Winston-Salem, and I completed my undergraduate degree here at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2022. In undergrad, I studied economics and public policy. After graduating, I spent one year in DC working for a teacher’s union. Although I loved the work, the city wasn’t for me, and I am very glad to be back in my home state of NC! That experience, along with my public policy work in undergrad, helped me realize I wanted to get my MPA. I found that while I enjoyed working for a national organization, I wanted to be closer to the people who I was working for. The MPA degree’s focus on local organizations (local government, community nonprofits, etc) would give me the education and experience I needed. A key part of this experience that I sought is the Professional Work Experience (PWE). This summer, I have been working with ncIMPACT for my PWE. ncIMPACT is an entrepreneurial initiative with the UNC School of Government. This organization, which focuses on collective action and bridging policy with practice across the state of North Carolina, could not have been a more perfect fit for my PWE. The first project I was able to work on was the Statewide Summit for Suicide Prevention. This event was the culmination of 18 months of hard work by the ncIMPACT team as well as 15 community-led teams all working in the mental health and suicide prevention space. Personally, I had no background in the mental health field, but I had experience in research and event coordination. 

From this experience, I was able to meet people all over the state working on suicide prevention and awareness. I heard presentations from DHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley, CDC Advisor Charlene Wong, and other state leaders. Additionally, I was able to present on the work that the ncIMPACT team had done prior in the year, with the 2024 POV Challenge. One of the best experiences, though, was the “We See You” art installation, created by my fellow student researchers and I. The concept for the art project was to take polaroids of summit attendees and display them all on a board that says “We See You.” This piece was meant to show people at the event who were struggling with their mental health that they were not alone and that people and resources were available to them. Attendees were able to take pictures with the art piece, find their pictures in it, and walk away knowing that the over 400 people at this summit were as dedicated to suicide prevention and supporting mental health as they were. It was a visualization of the sense of community found at this event. I have, and will continue doing interesting and impactful things with ncIMPACT, but I am especially grateful this organization encourages creativity throughout their work. 

This post was written by current student Jackson Dille.

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One of my favorite aspects of being a college student is how eager professionals in the field are to connect with you and offer professional advice. This dynamic has helped me forge lasting professional relationships from past conferences I’ve attended, such as the International City/County Management Association in Austin and the Congress of New Urbanism in Charlotte. Last week’s North Carolina Local Government Budget Association conference in Beaufort was no exception.

The conference started off strong with opening remarks by motivational speaker Jamie Valvano, daughter of legendary NC State basketball coach Jim Valvano. Jamie encouraged attendees to write their vision for an extraordinary life on an index card. This provided a great opportunity for me to reflect on my personal goals as well as my goals for the conference.

Fortunately, the conference met my goal of gaining a better understanding of the issues affecting budget departments across the state. I had the chance to meet and converse with professionals from budget offices in areas such as Cumberland County and Gastonia, learning about the local challenges impacting their organizations. The conference sessions offered valuable insights, covering everything from creating pivot tables in Excel to getting G.O. bonds passed. 

The conference was as entertaining as it was informative, and I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know my team better. I am extremely grateful to the Town of Apex for the financial support that made attending this conference a reality for me. I look forward to applying the concepts I learned to my work as a budget analyst and hope to attend the next conference this winter!