Every student’s path to Harvard Kennedy School is unique, and what our alumni go on to do after graduating is equally varied.
We asked several HKS alums to tell us about their experiences before, during, and after HKS, and to reflect how their time at HKS has shaped their careers and lives.
Faith Ambrose MPP 2024 found her calling to public service through undergraduate experiences like the Public Policy Leadership Conference and Junior Summer Institute. After spending several years in the classroom as a teacher, Faith came to HKS determined to make meaningful change for students. Today, as an education policy manager, she is shaping the future of educational policy at the state level.
Here’s what she shared.
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“HKS classes in policy design and delivery, negotiations, adaptive leadership, and federal budget policy deeply prepared me for my current role.”
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2024
Working under the Secretary of Education, Faith manages early education and K-12 policies and initiatives, including literacy, mental health, and special education.
“I work with every part of these sectors, including residential placements, carceral education, educator workforce and diversity, early education access, affordability, quality, and our interagency early education and care task force.”
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2024Graduates from HKS
“The coursework at HKS shaped how I would approach my career post-graduation. I learned how to brief a principal, navigate and leverage the budget and lawmaking process, understand the overlaps and opportunities of law and policy, and advance the work across multiple perspectives.”
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2023
She helped develop Governor Katie Hobbs’ eight-year strategic plan for early education and care.
“This is where I fell in love with state government, early education, and the beautiful state of Arizona.”
Throughout her second year at HKS, Faith continued to work with Governor Hobbs’ office to complete her Policy Analysis Exercise on public-private partnerships for early education access and affordability (and the policies she worked to develop are now being implemented in Arizona!).
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2022Begins the MPP Program
While at HKS, Faith was a Center for Public Leadership Fellow and participated in the Taubman Economic Development Seminar through the Taubman Center for State and Local Government.
“As for extra-curriculars, I was active in the Kennedy School of Government, Black Student Union, and the Black Policy Conference. Additionally, I gave back to the two programs that influenced my decision to get an MPP: I served as a student coordinator for PPLC and a student mentor for the PPIA Junior Summer Institute at HKS.”
Notable courses included MLD-220M: Fundamentals of Negotiation Analysis and Practice with Professor Brian Mandell, MLD-502: Developing People with Tim O'Brien, and DPI-505: The Supreme Court, Law, and Public Policy with Maya Sen. Faith also graduated with a certificate in Management, Leadership, and Decision-Making Sciences.
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2021
Because of Faith’s exposure to public policy during college, she knew early on that she would apply to Harvard Kennedy School.
“I was really attracted to the courses offered, the caliber of professors and staff, and opportunities to get involved with the Center for Public Leadership and Black Policy Conference.”
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2021
Faith learned the about education policy at the district, local, state, and federal levels; how to engage in policymaking as a teacher; and began research on the impact of play-based learning on literacy outcomes.
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2019Graduates from Union University with a master’s degree in urban education
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2018Begins teaching second grade
Faith worked as a teacher before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic and saw firsthand how issues such as poverty, food security, mental and behavioral health, and transportation affect students in the classroom.
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2018Graduates from Jackson State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science
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2017
“This summer experience gave me a chance to see what graduate coursework in an MPP program would look like and convinced me that I would pursue an MPP post-graduation.”
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2016
As a fellow, Faith worked on the Every Student Succeeds Act and drafted hearing questions for Betsy Devos' senate hearing.
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2016
Faith’s experience at PPLC exposed her to what an advanced degree in public policy could do. She immediately fell in love with this work.
