Like many, the COVID-19 pandemic was the impetus for exploring supplementary opportunities to expand varying knowledge and skillsets. For John Williamson, '24, he wanted to learn more about public administration. Through Marist's partnership with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Williamson enrolled in Marist's Master of Public Administration (MPA) program. "The MPA program is NASPAA-accredited, and among the colleges with this accreditation that offered online programs, Marist offered what I considered to be the best balance of quality, value, and accessibility," said Williamson.

As a Supervisory United States Probation Officer for the Western District of Oklahoma, Williamson sought to improve his leadership skills within his career. The MPA program allowed Williamson to learn practical skills that he could apply in his job. Moreover, he could tailor his course assignments to include concepts that piqued his interest or could apply to his field. This all culminated with his capstone project, in which he proposed the development of a pretrial drug court program in the Western District of Oklahoma, where he works. Of his capstone project, Williamson said he was able to synthesize much of his learnings into a concrete plan that could be instituted into a meaningful course of action at his workplace. 

The flexibility of the MPA program allowed Williamson to pursue his degree entirely online despite living in Oklahoma. "It is often easy to feel disconnected in online learning, but throughout the program, I felt as though I was part of a learning community, and the professors in the program were always accessible and invested in my success," said Williamson. 
 
Having flown in for graduation, Williamson took the chance to spend quality time with his professors and peers and finally experience the Marist campus firsthand, which is something he had not done before enrolling. He said, "It was truly an excellent reward for completing the degree, and it made me very proud to be part of the Marist community."