Congratulations to Erin Twomey for being selected a Public Administration and Policy’s August Student of the Month!
A South Georgia native, Erin is entering her second year of the MPA program, where she is specializing in health policy. Erin aspires to a career in the public sector as a therapist and advocate for mental health. Her goals are to aid in the advancement of mental health services and access to care in Georgia’s rural communities.
In May of 2021, Erin graduated from the University of Georgia with bachelor’s degrees in both psychology and religion as well as a minor in human services. Before returning to UGA to pursue an MPA, she worked as a middle school special education teacher in her hometown of Adel, Ga, where she taught students diagnosed with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, visual impairments, and other developmental disabilities. As an MPA candidate, Erin has continued contributing to the field of education as a teaching assistant for the History Department.
This summer, Erin has been interning for UGA Extension’s Rural Health Agent, Jennifer Dunn. In this position, Erin researches stress management skills among farmers and youth in Southwest Georgia and engages with public health and behavioral health leaders in the area. In addition to her academic and extracurricular pursuits, Erin will also be working with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government as a graduate research assistant within the training division, under the supervision of Ms. Mara Shaw. Over the next year, Erin is thrilled to serve as the Inclusion and Outreach Chair for Georgia Students for Public Administration (GSPA) and the Events Coordinator for UGA’s student chapter of International City/County Management Association (ICMA). In these roles, she hopes to help her fellow MPA students cultivate long lasting relationships with each other and build upon the sense of community she has come to love about the MPA program.
Erin strongly encourages all incoming MPA students to get involved. Her experiences have shown her that the MPA program opens the door to so many different opportunities and has a plethora of resources to help guide you along your way! She also welcomes new students to feel free to reach out to her with any questions they might have about the program, student organizations, fun things to do in Athens, or just to chat!
