Christine Cockley

My mother was the inspiration for my interest in public service. She ran for public office in our community and, through her experience, I met politicians and advocates who taught me the importance of local government. It was an influential time when I began to truly understand what Senator John Glenn always acknowledged: One person can have a big impact when they put their community first.

While attending Ohio State as an undergraduate student was an easy choice, it was the Washington Academic Internship Program (WAIP) — another of Senator Glenn’s legacies — that led me to the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. A scholarship to reduce my housing costs for a semester-long internship in Washington, D.C., the summer before my senior year made the opportunity a reality. I was finally able to connect my passion for public service with a degree that would build my skills and a career path that would allow me to make a greater impact in my community.

People like me want to learn and grow, and they want to be able to take their strengths and apply it to public service.

After an extraordinary experience in the WAIP program, I wanted to continue my studies at the Glenn College while again interning in the nation’s capital. With additional scholarship support, I was able to enroll in the Master of Public Administration, D.C. program. Even during an unprecedented year, I am thrilled to have completed my capstone, received my degree and built valuable relationships with inspiring public servants in the D.C. area and beyond.