MPA Student Spotlight: Rebekah Shamberger

Rebekah Shamberger is in her final semester of the Master of Public Administration program. Rebekah was born and raised in Aberdeen, North Carolina. 

What drew you to the field of public administration?

I became attracted to public administration during my second year of teaching. The school administrators were advocating for a bond referendum to help get new schools built in the county. It was then that I realized that policy was intertwined in our everyday lives and I wanted to get involved in education policy.

Why did you choose the MPA program at NC State?

As a working adult, I wanted to find a program that was flexible enough to work with a 40-hour work week. NC State’s program does just that by offering evening classes. This allowed me the opportunity to implement what I have learned in the classroom into my worklife. 

What are your career goals?

I initially came into the Public Administration program wanting to pursue education policy. However, recently I want to move more into the nonprofit arts advocacy realm. I hope to one day head an arts nonprofit or an arts council and be able to broaden the horizons of youth across the state through arts outreach. 

What have you found to be the most interesting and/or challenging part of public administration?

What I have found to be the most interesting part of public administration is that there has to be a relationship between not only the public and nonprofit sectors but the private sector in order for needs to be met for most if not all the public. 

What has been your favorite part of the MPA program so far?

My favorite part has been learning about my peers’ backgrounds. I felt like I was coming into the program with such a different background, music performance, but I have found that many people have very diverse educational backgrounds such as recreation and dance. I think that diversity adds a richness to the MPA program.

What advice do you have for students considering an MPA?

I would say that if you are considering working in the public or nonprofit sector to definitely go and get your MPA. I would also say to keep your options open to both sectors because you might find out that you have a passion for something that you did not initially come into the program to do.