#PolicyProfile: “One of my favorite parts about being here at PrincetonSPIA is the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) dinners. Every Thursday, I meet with other MPA students for insightful conversations. It’s refreshing to have a safe space to share mine and other Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students' life experiences with our colleagues, without feeling hostility in the room. That’s a large part of what makes SPIA memorable to me. Truthfully, I didn’t expect to be here. Following my graduation from Howard University (howard1867), I didn’t have a job lined up. I was searching and applying, but I became discouraged as I kept getting ‘thank you for applying’ messages. The job hunt was brutal. I applied to the peacecorps and was fully prepared to enter into service in August 2020, but the pandemic got in the way. After this disappointment, I knew I had to be more strategic in my approach, so I re-evaluated my strategy to get professional experience in #development. ...