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Two John Jay MPA Students Garner Presidential Management Fellowships

Lauren Fischer and Ryan Spiker, graduate students in the Master of Public Administration program, have been appointed to the newest cohort of Presidential Management Fellows, a program that, since 1977, has provided exceptional graduate students with opportunities in federal agencies.

Fellows are appointed to two-year positions within agencies at advanced levels, allowing them to launch their career in federal government and to gain challenging experiences through intriguing work assignments and contribute to the operation of government.

Both Fischer and Spiker came to John Jay with undergraduate degrees from other distinguished institutions. Fischer earned her bachelor’s degree at Pennsylvania State University, where her longtime interest in people and their behavior prompted her to study human development and family studies and sociology. Spiker pursued his undergraduate studies at the University of Oregon, focusing on political science and government.

Fischer says working for the government has always appealed to her because she feels it is the most effective position from which to implement multidimensional, positive change.  “There are so many issues to debate, everything from gun control to privacy law,” said Fischer. “The next decade for our country will be formative because Congress will have to take action on so many hot-button issues. Hopefully, young people will reinvigorate the government.

“I want to get everything I can get out of this fellowship,” she added.

Spiker hopes to use the PMF appointment as a platform for giving back. He interrupted his undergraduate study for a year to enlist in the Navy in 2006, and is hoping the Fellowship will give him a chance to work in administration for the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Martinsburg, WV. “Being a veteran and using their services, I wanted to give back. They helped me through my whole master’s degree so this seemed like a perfect fit,” said Spiker.

While Spiker pursued his MPA at John Jay, he worked full time at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and he will graduate with specialties in management and operations and human resources management.
 
“I was very excited to be selected [for the PMF],” said Spiker. “What I learned from my MPA studies will be beneficial because I will be able to apply it to improve efficiency and develop cost-effective procedures in whichever agency I ultimately end up working for."
 
The Fellowship appoints each finalist to a two year position in a government agency. After selection, the fellows are invited to attend an elite job fair where approximately 25 to 30 government agencies such as the Department of Justice, Department of State, and Department of Interior are represented. The program will also offer opportunities and events for networking and management and leadership training.

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