Student Profile, Sumner Perera MPP Class of 2025

“As a child of immigrants who came to the U.S. for education and economic opportunities, my parents instilled in me the importance of education and service from a young age,” said Sumner Perera, MPP Class of 2025. “I was inspired to study molecular and cellular biology in college as I wanted to serve patients.”

After completing her undergraduate degree at Harvard and her thesis at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Perera continued with lab research but began to wonder if there was another path to the service goals she had. “Limitations within my lab work were starting to become more salient. I kept asking myself: Why do treatments fall short of reaching every patient in need? I realized I needed a broader understanding of inequities beyond healthcare to create the impact I desired.”

Wanting to pursue an experience outside the lab, Perera began working with Global Citizen, a nonprofit organization focused on global anti-poverty advocacy. “There, through a grassroots awards program and several advocacy campaigns, I was able to learn about different social issues from a community perspective. The experience brought on a desire to understand impact measurement and program evaluation...and I wanted to be in on the action.”

To fulfill that desire, Perera joined the North Carolina Democratic Party as an organizer during the 2020 general election cycle. “This was a unique experience because it was during COVID-19 lockdowns. I recruited volunteers remotely from my apartment in New York and canvassed voters within my district to increase voter engagement and help elect Democratic candidates in local and federal elections. Voters shared their unique worries, values, and experiences, and this exposed me to the human perspective behind complex social challenges. But I still struggled to understand: how do you measure impact to know what works? What policies will truly make a difference?”

Subsequently, Perera took a position with MDRC, a nonprofit research organization, where her efforts focused on supporting low-income students in higher education institutions. “My work over the last two-years centered around randomized control trials of student success programs at two- and four-year colleges and direct technical assistance to institutions. Each project provided insight into methods of measuring impact through quantitative and qualitative frameworks.”

After all these experiences, Perera was inspired to pursue an advanced degree and move to the next level of policy studies. “My experience at MDRC opened the door to new research methodologies for me and I wanted to build the quantitative skills necessary for policy creation. The other missing piece in my understanding of ‘what works’ sat with stakeholders —who were they and how can they all work together to implement a proven strategy at a local and federal level?

Harris spoke my language—I would be empowered to become a better researcher with new skills while also being thoughtful about the challenges of effective implementation alongside key partners. I hope to eventually learn how to create interdisciplinary policies that ensure economic and educational growth for low-income students of color.”

While pursuing her degree, Perera intends on keeping one foot outside of the classroom. “I am interested in serving nonprofit organizations in the South and West sides of Chicago through Harris Community Action (HCA) and gaining hands-on policy experience with clients through Policy Labs. ” Perera was recently selected as a board member for HCA.

Perera’s advice for those considering a way to create greater impact is clear. “If you feel like you can do more, but you are not entirely sure what that looks like, start small. Find something you are passionate about and pursue different ways to learn from individuals at the front lines of an issue. You will discover more about yourself, the world around you, and what it means to be human.”