4th year Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA) Spec. Honours (Policy Analysis Stream)

I started off my time at York University in the Psychology program, but it was not the right fit, and consequently, I decided to transfer out of the program. I had been intrigued by the Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA) program at the University after reading about it in high school. Therefore, I decided to try a few courses over the summer. I recall being excited while writing a paper on Indigenous Affairs and policy for my Canadian Government (AP/PPAS 2110 3.0) class. It was at that moment that I knew that the BPA program was the correct choice for me. Since then I have experienced many such moments that have left me excited and inspired to learn further and explore various areas in public policy and administration.

I came to this institution with the objective of discovering my passion and honing my skills. As I reflect back on my journey at York University, it is apparent how the BPA program has been conducive to promoting my personal growth. It has done so by taking an interdisciplinary approach to education, along with offering courses with an experiential education component.

I am currently enrolled in the practicum course (AP/PPAS 4995 6.) for which I have been placed in the Corporate Service Division for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Ministry of Housing. For the past few months, I have been working on an open data project. I have been able to use skills acquired in the statistics course (AP/PPAS 3300 6.0) coupled with my passion for design. Till a few months ago I was unaware of my tenacity for data analysis and my love for technology. Additionally, the experience has dispelled the stereotype that there is no room for innovation in government, but every week I get to see how unfounded this stereotype is and how the public sector is deploying innovation to resolve social issues.

Furthermore, I have recently been selected to take part in an incubator program where my teammates and I are engaged in designing and proposing a sustainable solution for the issue of affordable housing in the York Region. To conduct the preliminary research for this project, I relied heavily on my ability to compose surveys. The development of this skill is accredited to my coursework for Program Evaluation (AP/PPAS 4310 3.0 and 4320 3.0), where my group and I crafted surveys to conduct a program assessment for our client. Thus, the skills that the BPA program develops in its students are transferable to the workforce, an element that makes this program invaluable to me.

A message that I would like to conclude with is: “take risks and be fearless” because what I have learned in the past four years is that you may find your passion in the most unexpected places just as I did during my journey in the BPA program. – Noor Dhillon