Amea Thompson, class of 2023 Master of Public Service & Administration Candidate, discusses her experience at the Bush School. Amea is in the Nonprofit Management track.
Interviewer: Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Amea: My name is Amea Thompson. I’m a second-year student here at the Bush School on the MPSA side. My track is Nonprofit Management, and I am in the class of 2023. I’m from Savannah Georgia, born and raised. I did my undergrad at Valdosta State University and got my degree in Communications and Marketing. I worked for a year doing some nonprofit work in Valdosta, and I felt a strong interest to learn more about the nonprofit sector and how to be equipped and well-managed, and what that looks like in a nonprofit. So, that made me apply to graduate school and I ended up here at the Bush School!
Interviewer: What is the most challenging thing about the Bush School?
Amea: For me, the most challenging part has definitely been moving far away from home. I’m currently 15 hours away, and I’m very close with my family and so that’s been definitely hard in trying to figure out a new state, a new city, and just a new environment.
Interviewer: What is the best part of the Bush School?
Amea: My most challenging part connects to my favorite part because, since coming here, I’ve been able to find a sense of community among some of the other Bush students here. They feel like family to me; we’ve been able to make lifelong memories.
Interviewer: What has been your favorite class at the Bush School?
Amea: My favorite class actually was a class that I took last semester! It was Access and Equity in Higher Education with Dr. Ishara Casellas Connors. In this class, we talked a lot about different lack of resources that students may face, or challenges they may face when they come to higher ed institutions. And just in general, practitioners and how we can provide better resources for these students so they can have better access to entering post-secondary institutions.
Interviewer: What extracurriculars have you participated in here?
Amea: I’ve had the neat opportunity to kind of put my knowledge to use. I currently got to work with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Brazos Valley here in College Station, and I’ve gotten to work with both youth and parents and volunteers, which allowed me to learn about what it’s actually like to work internally in a nonprofit, but also get to actually have a sense of volunteerism here in Bryan-College Station, which has been nice.
Interviewer. What advice do you have for future students?
Amea: My best advice for any future student that may come to the Bush School is be open to change. You may get here with something that you have in mind that you want to do that you’re passionate about and it may change either a month, or six months, or a year down the road. I would say, hey be open to it, because for me, I came with the idea of what I want to do and it’s changed a little bit along the way.
