Canady talks honestly about her experience as a Harris Public Policy student, including how the math component has been less daunting than she expected.
Asia Canady
Asia Canady, Class of 2019

HOMETOWN:

Sacramento, California

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE:

Urban and Environmental Policy, Occidental College

MASTER'S DEGREE:

Teaching, Fordham University

PREVIOUS EMPLOYER:

The Neighborhood Charter School of Harlem (New York City, NY)

Asia Canady enjoyed teaching fourth graders in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. A key component of her curriculum involved taking the students outside the school and into the surrounding streets. She wanted them to feel, hear, and be part of their community. She wanted them to see that learning was everywhere, not just in the classroom, and to understand that how people lived and worked in communities had a ripple effect on everything around them.

After the 2016 election, Canady recognized the impact the new administration might have on the communities, students, and public education system she loved so much. She knew she had to become part of the force that could influence and make positive changes to strengthen these areas.

The MPP program at Harris gave Canady what she was looking for to effect the change she felt was needed.

“The MPP teaches all of the things required of effective decision-making: a need to understand context, an ability to understand and transmit qualitative and quantitative data, and a focus on articulating your ideas effectively,” she explained.

Though Canady was sure she wanted to attend a high-level school bursting with opportunities within a world-class city, she was uncertain about her ability to fulfill the program’s high-level data and analytics emphasis.

“My only hesitation in applying to Harris was the essential quantitative component of this degree,” Canady said. “It seemed to exclude me. However, this has not been the case.

“It has been challenging and has required a tremendous intellectual lift, but it has not been impossible,” she added. “In fact, it has been incredibly rewarding. There are no limits here. You only need to ask for the academic resources you require. You also have amazing support from professors and staff members who all want to see you excel, grow, and succeed.”

Outside the core work of the program, Canady has been immersed in an environment filled with opportunity, fellowship, and community. She has met several leading professionals whose expertise has inspired thought-provoking questions and open conversation among her and her fellow students.

She regularly attends luncheons and events that bring ideas and ingenuity to the forefront. Though Canady is in her first year in the program, she is already a student ambassador and an editor of the student-run Chicago Policy Review. She is also a part of the Community Action Bureau and member of Team Harris to further build on her experiences.

“There is a level of intimacy to this program that is very appealing,” Canady said. “You get to know so many people from different places who have done so many different things in their lives, and this networking ability takes you further than you may have thought possible.”

“You can enjoy all this great city has to offer and work with some of the top faculty in the world,” she added. “Opportunities are everywhere. It’s like I always told my students: ‘Learning is all around you.’ It doesn’t stop in the classroom. At Harris, this is part of the weekly curriculum—to go out there and keep learning, inventing, solving problems, and growing your breadth of knowledge, so you can make a positive impact on everything you touch.”

Canady believes the program is helping her obtain a more nuanced ability to understand, apply, and present data analytics and put in place more effective steps of problem-solving. These are critical attributes for building and presenting research-based solutions to challenges she will be working to meet.

Once she completes the program, Canady anticipates working in a public or private partnership role supporting community organizations and groups by leveraging their political, social, and economic powers to create sustainable and equitable places to live, learn, and work.

“We don’t live in a vacuum,” Canady said. “Education, poverty, crime, resources—they are all linked. I really believe in the creativity and intelligence of people and communities, and that, although complex, problems can be solved and life can improve for so many in need of positive change.”