It’s only been a month since Alexandra Mackay M’26 enrolled at Merrimack College and she already has a desk at Boston City Hall.
The master’s of public administration student is currently doing a fellowship as a community engagement and outreach specialist for the City of Boston’s Office of Participatory Budgeting (OPB). In her role, Mackay acts as a liaison between community groups and City Hall regarding Boston’s participatory budget.
“I wasn’t really sure what participatory budgeting meant prior to the fellowship,” she said. “Essentially, Boston residents decide where a portion of the budget is allocated to. I saw that system of direct democracy and did a bit more of my own personal research. I find it to be really interesting and impactful work.”
Since arriving at City Hall, Mackay collected data on residents’ funding priorities for next fiscal year, met with various community leaders on their proposed projects and helped organize the first of five public forums on the participatory budget.
“Alexandra truly reflects the MPA program’s mission of preparing effective, ethical leaders in public service,” said Lien Nguyen, director of the MPA program. “Her motivation to serve, combined with her ability to connect classroom learning with hands-on fellowship experience, makes her a standout example of the impact our students are making in their communities.”
Mackay has been politically motivated for most of her adult life. She graduated from the University of Maine with a bachelor’s degree in political science. As an undergraduate, she worked as a student organizer for the Maine’s People Alliance and collaborated with various political groups pushing initiatives to protect the environment, raise the minimum wage and remove moneyed interests from political campaigns.
After graduating and working a few education and nonprofit jobs, Mackay decided a good way to get a leg up in her career was to pursue a master’s degree. She said the fellowship program was what initially drew her to Merrimack.
“Not a ton of public administration master’s degree programs that I was looking at offered in-the-field experiences,” she explained. “There were opportunities to do research or work as a teaching assistant, but none had that real-world aspect.”
Online classes are a perfect fit, Mackay said, as she works a part-time job as an early education tutor in addition to her fellowship and studies.
“Being able to do my degree at night or on weekends is great,” she continued.
At the moment, she’s still weighing her options as to where she’ll end up after earning her master’s. Merrimack’s program, she said, has been instrumental in helping her see all potential career pathways, including a few she never previously considered.
“Being at City Hall has allowed me to make a lot of connections and network not just with other departments but also with nonprofits and contract partners as well,” she said. “Being able to hear residents’ real-world experiences and seeing them have a hand in where their tax money is going has been really excellent.”
