Mike Donohue
My Name: Mike Donohue
My Hometown: Cumming, GA
My Major: Public Policy (PUBP)
My Minors: Economics and International Affairs
I Am Also: President's Scholar
Georgia Tech offers a customizable education.
I want to enter the policy arena ready to solve the complex, "wicked" problems that will challenge us as we charge into the 21st century. I knew that Public Policy at Georgia Tech would teach me how to think critically when approaching a policy problem while also giving me the factual background to hit the ground running in areas like energy policy. I also knew that EIA would provide me with the expertise to communicate with my foreign counterparts. These programs of study will enable me to better determine how policies I work on affect the greater world.
Why Liberal Arts at Tech, you ask?
I started out as a physics major, but I quickly realized I was more interested in working on shaping the broad directions of research than doing the research myself. Being a liberal arts major at Georgia Tech has allowed me to keep a close connection to those who are doing research, while still getting the effective education I'll need to make myself valuable in the policy arena. It's important that Liberal Arts students at Tech take advantage of the fact that they're at Georgia Tech when going through their major. Especially for those majors dealing with policy in some degree, learning in an environment that has such a heavy emphasis on science and technology helps immensely.
We are a community of problem solvers.
Everyone I know is focused on making the world better in some way, and they've come to Tech in order to get the tools to make that difference. As students of Ivan Allen College, we have access to the many science and technology resources Georgia Tech offers. I've worked on projects where I've had to have a little knowledge of civil engineering, physics, electrical engineering, or sociology. The fact that I wasn't afraid to reach out to the science and technology resources available to me here at Tech helped me do a great job on those projects. Being a liberal arts major at Georgia Tech has allowed me to keep a close connection to those who are doing research, while still getting the effective education I'll need to make myself valuable in the policy arena.
My favorite classes so far...
I've really enjoyed my Sustainability, Technology, and Policy class. Beyond teaching me about the problems facing us as we continue to use our planet's resources, it has showed me new ways of attacking policy problems and involving scientists, policy-makers, and the public in the resolution of the issues that face all of us.
I had the chance to affect change.
In the fall of 2009 I worked as an intern policy analyst at Georgia Tech's Office of Policy Analysis and Research. I worked on three projects during my internship: the Technology to Policy case study (T2P), a science and technology program inventory for the state of Georgia, and a legislative typology of bills state legislatures have passed relating to science and technology. It was an introduction to science and technology policy in Georgia, and there I discovered the complexity of the groups affecting S&T policy in the state. While there, I learned how to work on a semester long research project while having a great degree of autonomy. I also was exposed to the inner workings of science and technology policy within the state. At the time, I was actually taking a course called Science, Technology, and Policy, which was extremely complementary to what I was learning during my research.
I am developing problem-solving skills through my student involvement.
I am involved in several different extra curricular activities which have allowed me to develop important skills for what I would like to do in the future.
Mock Trial is a cross between debate and acting. We are given a fact pattern at the beginning of the year, consisting primarily of witness statements. Half of the team studies those statements and then takes on the role of that witness. The other half of the team takes on the role of attorneys. If you think of Jack McCoy from Law and Order, you would have a pretty good idea of what our attorneys do. As president of the group, I lead practices and set overall strategy for the teams in addition to the more administrative duties of making sure we make it to tournaments in one piece and on budget.
On the Honor Advisory Council, we are tasked by the Honor Code with promoting academic integrity, educating the campus community about the Honor Code, and helping students that have been accused with an integrity violation through the process. We hold office hours where members of the community can come to us for information, we hold an ethics seminar about twice a month, and we give presentations and hold events that promote integrity. As chair, I set the direction for the council and represent us to the Academic Honor Committee.
In Omicron Delta Kappa, Tech's premier leadership honor society, we are devoted to cultivating leadership around campus. This year, I will be planning the Georgia Tech Leadership Conference, a daylong event where about 120 student leaders come together to improve their leadership skills. Also, this past year I served on the Student Government Association's Elections Committee. I planned and ran elections, ensured adherence to election regulations, organized the debate between our executive candidates, and verified the final results.
My dream after graduation...
I would like to spend time working with a policy maker in Washington, D.C. and then become a prosecutor in a large city or with the US Attorney's Office.
My name is Mike and I am liberal arts!
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