• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
  • DIVERSITY
  • GIVING
  • INTRANET
  • Nav Social Menu

    Search icon

The Bush School of Government & Public Service

Public Service is a noble calling.

  • ABOUT
    • About The Bush School
    • Meet the Dean
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusivity
    • News/Media >
      • Bush School News
      • Bush School in the Media
      • Bush School Podcast
      • Inside The Bush School
      • Social Media
      • Media Information
    • Allen Building
    • Annenberg Conference Center
    • The 41 Award
    • Directory/Contact Info
  • ACADEMICS
    • International Affairs >
      • Bachelor’s in International Studies
      • Master of International Affairs
      • Master of International Policy
      • Bachelor’s/Master’s 5-Year (3+2) Program
      • Master of International Affairs & Public Health (Combined)
    • Political Science >
      • Bachelor’s in Political Science
      • Bachelor’s/Master’s 5-Year (3+2) Program
      • PhD in Political Science
    • Public Service & Administration >
      • Master of Public Service & Administration
      • Executive Master of Public Service & Administration
      • Bachelor’s/Master’s 5-Year (3+2) Program
      • Master of PSAA & Education (Collaborative)
      • Master of PSAA & Public Health (Collaborative)
    • Graduate Certificates >
      • Advanced International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Nonprofit Management
      • Public Management
      • Geospatial Intelligence
      • National Security Affairs
      • Cybersecurity Policy
    • Bush School Online >
      • Executive Master of Public Service & Administration
      • Advanced International Affairs Certificate
      • Homeland Security Certificate
      • Nonprofit Management Certificate
      • Public Management Certificate
      • Geospatial Intelligence
    • Bush School DC >
      • Master of International Policy
      • Master of National Security & Intelligence
      • Graduate Certificate in Advanced International Affairs
  • ADMISSIONS
    • Apply Now!
    • International Affairs
    • Political Science
    • Public Service & Administration
    • Bachelor’s/Master’s 5-Year (3+2) Program
    • Bush School Online >
      • Executive Master of Public Service and Administration
      • Graduate Certificates
    • Bush School DC >
      • Master of International Policy
      • Master of National Security & Intelligence
    • Funding & Cost >
      • International Affairs
      • Political Science
      • Public Service & Administration
      • Bachelor’s/Master’s 5-Year (3+2) Program
      • Graduate Certificates
    • Undergraduate Advising
  • FACULTY
    • Faculty Directory >
      • Full-Time Faculty Directory
      • INTA Faculty Directory
      • POLS Faculty Directory
      • PSAA Faculty Directory
      • DC Faculty Directory
      • Research Directory
    • Faculty Research >
      • Research Overview
      • Capstone Projects
      • Institute for Science, Technology and Public Policy
      • Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy
      • Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs
      • Albritton Center for Grand Strategy
    • Faculty Experts
    • Faculty Spotlights
  • RESEARCH
    • Institutes >
      • Institute for Science, Technology and Public Policy
      • Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy
      • Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs
    • Centers >
      • European Union Center
      • Albritton Center for Grand Strategy
      • Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy
    • Programs >
      • Intelligence Studies Program
      • Program on Women, Peace, and Security
      • Middle East Program
      • Program on Cyber Policy, Strategy, and Security
      • Economic Statecraft Program
    • Faculty Research
    • Student Research >
      • INTA Capstone Projects
      • PSAA Capstone Projects
      • PSAA Mini Capstone Projects
  • STUDENTS
    • Prospective Students
    • Current Undergrad Students >
      • Undergraduate Advising
      • Honors & Thesis Program
      • Student Resources
    • Current Master’s Students >
      • Capstone Projects
      • Public Service Leadership Program
      • Student Organizations
      • Leadership Development
      • Medal of Excellence
    • Current PhD Students >
      • Hire a Bush School PhD
      • Student Resources
    • Alumni
    • Career Services >
      • Employment Statistics
      • Internship Information
      • Career Search Info
      • Employers
      • Hire a Bush School PhD
      • FAQ
    • Student Spotlights
  • EVENTS
    • Upcoming Events
    • Annenberg Conference Center
    • Directions & Parking Info
    • Recruitment Events
    • News/Media
  • DC SITE
    • About Bush School DC
    • Academic Programs
    • Admissions
    • Career Services
    • News
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Staff/Contact Info
Political Science

December 22, 2021

Building a Better Aggieland

Whitney Coats

Former Student Whitney Coats ‘08, ‘10 (MIA) embodies the Aggie core value of selfless service.


By Mia Mercer ‘23

For former student Whitney Coats ‘08, ‘10 (MIA), selfless service is more than an Aggie core value; it’s her career.  

Since August 2015, Coats and her husband, Charles Coats have worked for Bryan-College Station Habitat for Humanity (BCS Habitat), an affiliate of the global, nonprofit housing organization, Habitat for Humanity, that seeks to provide homes for low-income families in the BCS community. Coats works as a technology specialist for the organization’s website to promote their mission, expand their reach, and advocate for change within the BCS community.

“You don’t really understand what’s going on in your community until you get involved and meet people that you wouldn’t necessarily meet if you weren’t doing some sort of service project,” Coats said. “When it comes to creating communities that are a good place to live, we can come together to understand each other and that can probably impact a lot of local decisions. If you understand where people are coming from, it’s probably going to make for better policies in the long term.”

Although working for BCS Habitat wasn’t originally in Coats professional career outline, she is thankful to now be a part of an organization that allows her to serve the BCS community.
Although working for BCS Habitat wasn’t originally in Coats professional career outline, she is thankful to now be a part of an organization that allows her to serve the BCS community.

Although Coats always envisioned herself in a service oriented career, working for BCS Habitat wasn’t a part of her original professional blueprint. 

“I was a sophomore in high school when 9/11 happened, so I had a sudden interest in national security, specifically in intelligence,” Coats shared. “When I was 12, I attended the Bush School’s grand opening, and decided that’s where I wanted to go to grad school. So I ended up going to A&M and studying political science because I knew I wanted to go to the Bush School and study national security for a master’s.” 

In 2010, Coats fulfilled her childhood dream and graduated from the Bush School with a master’s in international affairs. But because of a hiring freeze and the 2008 financial crisis, neither Coats nor her husband were able to immediately get jobs. After staying in town a few years, Coats and her husband decided to join the Peace Corps in order to get the international experience they both wanted. 

“Being in the Peace Corps kind of reoriented us,” Coats said. “That’s when we first learned public service doesn’t have to be national security. It can be other stuff too, like working in your own local community.”

A few months into their service with the Peace Corps, Coats and her husband became pregnant with their first child and were excused from their service so they could go home and have their baby. In need of a new job, Coats and her husband applied for BCS Habitat.

“Habitat does zero interest loans to low-income families. Some people think we give away the homes, but we don’t,” Coats explained. “Families in town who are having trouble affording a good home but can’t get a mortgage from the bank can apply for a home and we will work with them to find a piece of land they can buy and we can work on it. And they actually work on their home too, it’s not just us.”

While soon-to-be homeowners work on their new homes, BCS Habitat also offers classes where they can learn about proper home maintenance to help reduce all the future costs of owning a home. They also provide financial counseling to make sure they know what a mortgage is, and how they can best pay it off. 

After Habitat Humanity encouraged their affiliates to get involved in more advocacy, Coats and her husband started a podcast called Think Brazos to educate the BCS community on policies and economic issues within the area.
After Habitat Humanity encouraged their affiliates to get involved in more advocacy, Coats and her husband started a podcast called Think Brazos to educate the BCS community on policies and economic issues within the area.

“A lot of our homeowners do pay off their mortgages quickly, which is great because it helps when they get older if they may not have a job or if they want to pass it off to their kids; that’s just a wonderful thing to be able to do,” Coats shared. “What I do for habitat started off as just editing the website. Now, I help with IT problems, marketing, and communications. I’ve written a lot of the stories that you’ll see on the websites for families, communication, and fundraising, and the last thing I’ve started with my husband is a podcast.”

After being encouraged to get involved in more advocacy, Coats and her husband created Think Brazos, a podcast that advocates for the families BCS Habitat can’t help.

“We recognize that we have limited capacity to help by building eight to 12 homes a year,” Coats explained. “We can’t help everybody so my husband and I started doing research a few years ago answering questions like ‘how can we help more people?’ ‘How can we help more homes get built?’ ‘What are other cities doing?’ ‘Why is housing getting more expensive for everybody everywhere?’ We started learning everything we could about housing supply and economics and housing and urban economics, topics I never thought I’d be learning about. So basically we came up with the idea of ‘Well, since we’re already going to be having these discussions about policy with city councils with policy experts, why don’t we start recording it and sharing it with anybody else who wants to learn?’ So that’s what the podcast is about. As we’re learning about these issues, everybody else can learn too.”

Coats said she enjoys meeting the families, learning about the struggles they’ve been through, and how much credit they give to God. For anyone interested in volunteering with BCS Habitat, visit their website and sign up to build houses with the families. 

“I used to think that I had to have a certain job in D.C.: one of those really cool-sounding jobs in national security,” Coats shared. “Growing up I wanted to go to other places and see other things, which is why I studied what I did, but I’ve learned how to really enjoy the life that I have here in my own community. Being content with the life you have and enjoying it is something not a lot of people can do. It’s wonderful to be able to recognize that even if your life didn’t turn out the way that you wanted, it’s still great.”

On Sept. 1, 2022, the Department of Political Science became part of the Bush School of Government & Public Service.

Category: POLS News

Primary Sidebar

POLS Links

POLS Home
  • Department Overview
  • Overview
  • Bachelor's in Political Science
  • Bachelor’s/Master’s 5-Year (3+2) Program
  • PhD in Political Science
  • Faculty Directory
  • Faculty by Field
  • Faculty Emeritus
  • Research
  • Data Resources
  • Party Change Project
  • Party Issue Change Data
  • Current PhD Students
  • Admissions Info
  • Funding & Cost
  • About Advising
  • Careers
  • Scholarships
  • Change of Major
  • Transfer Requirements
  • Study Abroad
  • Honors & Thesis Program
  • List of Resources
  • Academic Calendar
  • Registration Calendar
  • DataLab @ TAMU
  • Potomac Summer Institute
  • Danube Summer Institute
  • Current PhD Students
  • Hire a Texas A&M PhD
  • Placement History
  • List of Resources
  • Research Methods
  • Policy, Political Economy, and Violence
  • Political Behavior & Political Institutions
News Contact

Apply Now!
Request Info

Prospective Students

Facebook LogoTwitter LogoInstagram LogoYouTube Logo

Footer

Bush School Logo
College Station  |  Online  |  Washington, DC
CS Map  |  DC Map  |  Directory
CS Phone: 979-862-3469
DC Phone: 202-773-0001


ACADEMICS

• International Affairs
• Political Science
• Public Service & Admin
• Graduate Certificates
• Bush School Online
• Bush School DC


FACULTY

• INTA Faculty Directory
• POLS Faculty Directory
• PSAA Faculty Directory
• DC Faculty Directory
• Faculty Research
• Faculty Spotlights


STUDENTS

• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• Alumni
• Employment Statistics
• Hire a PhD
• Career Services


RESEARCH

• ISTPP
• Mosbacher Institute
• Scowcroft Institute
• European Union Center
• CGS
• Center for Nonprofits


Facebook LogoTwitter LogoInstagram LogoYouTube LogoLinkedin LogoSoundCloud Logo
©2022 The Bush School of Government and Public Service · Texas A&M University

State of Texas · State Links & Policies · Link Policy
Privacy & Security Policy · Accessibility Policy · Intranet
Stop Hate Button

Click here to visit the George & Barbara Bush Foundation Click here to visit the Texas A&M University website, tamu.edu Click here to make a donation to Texas A&M through the Texas A&M Foundation Click here to visit the George H.W. Bush Library website, bush41.org

Click here to visit the APSIA website Click here to visit the AmeriCorps website Click here to visit the NASPAA website