Zaw Min Aung

Full Name: Zaw Min Aung

Grad Year: ​2025

Degree/Program: ​MPPA

Current Title: Research Associate

Current Employer: F.B. Heron Foundation

What is the core mission of your role, or what is a major project you are currently working on? My first major research project involved developing a pilot community profile using four community capitals; Human, Environmental, Civic, and Economic, at the town level through an approach that can be tested, replicated, and reproduced. The project involved reviewing literature, selecting indicators, collecting and analyzing data, and producing a descriptive analysis report. The work has been both challenging and enriching because it requires strategic thinking, an understanding of the structural conditions shaping communities, and creativity when the necessary data are not readily available.

Could you share the story of how you found this position? Did a specific networking contact, internship, or program resource help open the door? I found this position with the support of my academic advisor, who guided and encouraged me throughout my job search during the final semester of my graduate program. I used many of the strategies that Marcie and Emily introduced through the MPPA program, including attending webinars, connecting with alumni, sending cold emails to organizations about positions that interested me, and staying in touch with my academic advisor throughout the process.

Is there a specific skill, methodology, or lesson from your degree that you rely on to do your work successfully? Several skills from the MPPA program are extremely valuable in my work, including communication skills, particularly negotiation and writing; quantitative research skills; economic thinking from a public policy perspective; and monitoring and evaluation. These skills enable me not only to fulfill my day-to-day responsibilities but also to contribute to projects involving other teams across the organization.

Looking back, what was a pivotal moment, favorite class, or faculty mentorship during your time in the program that directly shaped how you approach your career today? Rather than one favorite class or a single faculty mentorship, it was the combination of experiences throughout the MPPA program that shaped how I approach my career. Learning from course materials, absorbing key lessons from each course, engaging with professors and faculty members, joining lab activities outside the curriculum even though I joined somewhat late, and building lasting friendships with classmates have all been important in helping me navigate my career path.

If you could give one piece of advice to a student who is on the fence about starting a graduate degree in public policy, what would it be? My advice would be to view graduate study not only as a way to deepen the knowledge of public policy, but also as an opportunity to strengthen the research, writing, and critical-thinking skills needed in a changing workplace. These foundational skills are increasingly important for developing AI literacy and using AI tools responsibly and effectively, regardless of the position or field we will be pursuing.