Student Spotlight: Shannon Flores (MPA 2024)
As a second-year Master of Public Administration student and Bloomberg Public Service Fellow, Shannon is drawing from her personal experience with California State Legislature and the NYC Mayor's Office of City Legislative Affairs as well as her desire to make an impact in Latinx community advocacy.
Can you share a bit about yourself and what motivated you to attend a school of public service?
I am a second-year Master of Public Administration student and Bloomberg Public Service Fellow at NYU Wagner. I came to New York from Sacramento, California, where I worked as a staffer for two members of the California State Legislature. The work was very challenging, but it filled me with a deep sense of purpose and a desire to do more. One of the things I am most proud of working on was a bill that waived child care fees for low-income families during the pandemic, saving families an average of $600 a month. This year, the Governor announced that California will waive these fees indefinitely, a policy that the federal government is considering adopting.
In addition to being a MPA student, you’re also a member of the second cohort of Bloomberg Public Service Fellows. Can you share a bit about your experience and what you’ve learned thus far?
The Bloomberg Public Service Fellowship has been a big part of my experience at Wagner. It was my first community in the city and made transitioning to New York much less intimidating. The other fellows became some of my closest friends on campus (I currently live with one and another is moving in!), and I am deeply grateful for the time we spend together each month. It’s become a sort of sanctuary and space for reflection. I really look forward to hanging out with our program directors, who put a great deal of time and heart into creating a sense of community within the group. They’ve offered us a lot of mentorship and guidance, speaking frankly about their own challenges as leaders and how they’ve dealt with them. This year we’re welcoming a new cohort and I’m excited for them to join the family!
Wagner’s student group, the Association of Latinx Students and Allies in Public Service (ALAS), was reactivated last fall and hosted a series of great gatherings. What did you enjoy most about your experience last year?
Our former Co-Presidents JD Mazuera Arias and Miryea Cisneros reactivated ALAS last year to create a space for Latinx students and allies to connect with each other, share their experiences and identities, and advocate for issues that affect Latinx communities in New York City. What I enjoyed most about the group last year were the friendships I made on the board–everyone was very supportive of each other and there was a lot of laughter in our meetings. We all came from different parts of the country and world, and everyone was very open to sharing about their experiences. I loved learning about my teammates' families, hearing about their travels back home, and swapping recipes (my fave!). We incorporated these things into our newsletter to share them more widely with other students at Wagner, and to generally celebrate Latinx identity on campus.
Looking ahead, what are your hopes for ALAS in this new academic year?
This year, we’ve met as a board and decided we want to focus on creating opportunities for students to connect with each other and build community. We’re planning a few different events this semester to accomplish this goal–a happy hour (on Thursday the 14th at González y González at 4 PM - come join us!), a holiday potluck where we encourage students to bring foods based on their favorite family recipes, and a service day for Wagner students to assist families seeking asylum here in NYC. Next semester, we’re planning more programming to help students network with other Latinx professionals in public service. Our hope is that we can empower students to see themselves as leaders in their communities, and give folks a space to feel at home on campus.