Camila Vivanco Reynaud is seeking an undergraduate degree in Public Service and Administration. The program welcomed students with an intro course in the fall and fully launched at the start of this semester.
The Bush School of Government and Public Service has launched a new set of degrees for undergraduate students looking for a career in public service. Camila Vivanco Reynaud ’28 was the first to enroll in the Public Service and Administration (PSAA) program, which offers B.A. and B.S. degrees. Vivanco is one of seven students now pursuing a PSAA degree. She recently shared some of her thoughts about the program and why she joined:
Q: What brought you to the Bush School?
A: The opportunity to be in the Public Service and Administration Program. I had come last summer and I spoke to Ms. Lori (Lori Taylor, head of the Public Service and Administration Department) about how they were making this (master’s) program into an undergraduate program. It just sounded like a major that seemed almost perfectly tailored to everything that I want to do, which is the actual application of how to serve the public and how to give back to the people who’ve given you so much. I know that I’m coming from a very privileged standpoint and I’d like to just be able to come and do what I can to help others around me. To quote George Bush, “public service is a noble calling,” and that is where I feel like I’m being called.
Q: What are your thoughts on the PSAA program so far?
A: There are so many different tracks in PSAA, I feel like you get a really well-rounded education in what government and public service does on an everyday level.
I’ve learned a lot about emergency management and how every other sector is related to it (due to taking the PSAA introductory class last semester). It’s really interesting because, for example, Hurricane Helene happened, and a week later was the (class) midterm, and we already had questions about (the government response) on our midterm. So it’s a very quick turnaround time, but it’s also a really quick time for us to be, “This is the problem, and how can we find the solution, and how can we actually do things in a way to make a great change in our surroundings?” No matter what level you’re on: the local level, handling emergency management, or you’re at the federal level working with FEMA, you can do so much with what you have.
Q: You’re only a freshman, but what is your goal?
A: I would like to do a 3+2, 2+2 kind of thing (to graduate with both undergraduate and master’s degrees) so I can get my master’s in international affairs. And if I’m able to do that I can work with FBI, the CIA or potentially any branch of the federal government. Maybe even run for federal office.
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
A: It is so fun to just be a part of something that you know will lead you somewhere where you know you are a part of something bigger than yourself. I know that whether I end up working for a nonprofit – because that is my (degree) concentration – or if I end up working for the federal government, or just some business out there, or at the local government level, I know that I will be making the biggest impact I possibly can. And realistically, that’s all I can really want to do: to know that I’m part of something bigger than just myself.
