Student Profile: Brendon Krall, MPP Class of 2023

A native of Marysville, Washington, Brendon Krall said he saw and experienced the disparities low-income and minority students struggle with. “I grew up in a predominantly low-income town, and I had friends who were Native American and lived on the nearby reservation,” Krall said. “I attended school on the reservation for part of my elementary school experience, and I saw health, social, and education issues for people with limited resources.”

Determined to better understand—and gain the tools to change—the inequities he’d seen, Krall went to University of Washington Seattle and earned two degrees: one in business administration with a concentration in finance and one in public health. “Growing up, my perception and understanding of different professional roles were ‘lawyer, doctor, engineer, businessperson,’” said Krall. “After earning my bachelors, my eyes were opened to a lot of different options, which is one reason why I decided to participate in Teach for America.”

Krall taught English to eighth graders in Houston, Texas. “My teaching experience with TFA reinforced what I had experienced with my own education growing up, and I started to more clearly connect how political and social issues impact students in potentially unforeseen ways. A student and their family may be dealing with a natural disaster, or a student may be falling behind because they are busy taking care of siblings. Public policy can assuage the struggles of individuals and families, yet often identity markers and zip code determine one’s access to such resources and social support systems.”

Krall originally considered an MBA for graduate study, but after speaking to the dean of his college as well as a former professor, he changed his mind.

“An MPP seemed the best pathway to build the skill set necessary to improve the lives of vulnerable and historically oppressed populations. I want to dissect how public policy shapes their lived experiences and develop evidence-based solutions to address these disparities.”

While exploring graduate programs, Krall said the Master of Public Policy (MPP) at Harris stood out. “Harris’s emphasis on leveraging quantitative data to support policy recommendations is a clear ideological fit for my professional intentions,” he said. “One of the factors that especially drew me to the Harris MPP was the ability to gain and use hard skills I can apply to any area. I can combine these skills with the abilities I already have.”

Krall also noted the Certificate in Data Analytics and Certificate in Survey Research as unique opportunities at Harris—as well as the recently established Development Innovation Lab. “The possibility of working with [Nobel-laureate Professor] Michael Kremer, one of the greatest minds addressing global poverty, and seeing how his methodologies can be applied to my passion for education and social policies, is incredibly exciting.”

Krall said he also appreciated the Harris Admissions team’s hands-on approach. “As a first-generation college graduate, navigating graduate school was daunting. I appreciated the intentionality of the recruiting.”

When asked about his plans post-graduation, Krall said there were some goals he wanted to keep at the forefront of his mind. “I want to help to create a more equitable society, develop more sustainable solutions, and approach these complex issues with creative and diverse perspectives.”