By Akhila Mullapuhi
One of the most important skills to have is to be a multidisciplinary thinker and problem solver, both as a leader and a public servant. It is because my goal is to be a complex learner that I decided to take BL:488 Business and Public Policy, a course through the Ross School of Business called the Carsons Scholar Program. As a Public Policy major at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy with a minor in Business Administration, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to learn about public policy from a different perspective. This course was once a week, followed by a 5-day excursion to Washington D.C. to learn from the city and various speakers.
Through the grant provided by the Barger Leadership Institute (BLI), I was able to travel to Washington D.C. as a Carson Scholar through the BL 488 course. Our trip included a jam-packed schedule of various speakers ranging from former elected officials, policy specialists, C-Suite Executives, news and media specialists, and more. The goal of this program was to expose business students to the various aspects and intersections that business has with government.
Over the course of five days, we met with dozens of speakers who spoke about various business issues, ranging from regulatory policy and its impact on industry, to media and journalism and how information is spread, to learning about running for office from former elected officials, to FTC guidelines on antitrust, and more. It provided students an opportunity to gain a plethora of perspectives on how to apply their business degrees in an impactful way.
For me, this was an opportunity to get an insight into a path at the intersection between business and public policy that I hope to work in post-graduation. It allowed me to get up close to policy issues and industries that I had studied and learned about, and gain a deeper understanding by just being in proximity to it. One of my favorite things about DC is that there is always something happening; it is a city of change-making, and you can feel it in the air. It was so exciting to visit Congress and sit in on hearings on issues pertaining to our class topics. It was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.
One of the best parts of this program was the Carson Scholars Cohort. Learning online versus in person in a new city like DC completely changed the experience. As much as I learned from the speakers, I learned from my classmates during our breaks and dinner discussions. From this trip, I learned how to bond with new people and learn from my peers. The friendships and memories I made with them on this trip are going to last a lifetime.
One of my biggest takeaways was understanding the relationship between business and government. I often thought that because these two entities had opposing end goals, their relationship would be conflict ridden, but this trip taught me that the dynamism is there to reflect the competing interests and cooperativeness of various stakeholders. In the end, it made me as a policy student have to face different situations with a nuanced perspective based on my understanding of how stakeholders like the private sector would react to policies. Another major takeaway was the importance of being able to have good relationships with the people around you. It’s important to remember your way and how to be truly authentic.
Overall, this opportunity challenged my understanding of public policy from different perspectives. It helped me grow and become a deeper thinker and learner, which will inevitably help me in my future career in public service. As a leader, it is always important to continuously learn from yourself and the world around you, and this experience did exactly that.
