Coding Meets Community: MPP Student Brings a Tech Lens to Public Policy

Kara Clemons ’28 (MPP) is beginning a year of service with the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council through AmeriCorps VISTA, where she’ll gain hands-on experience in public policy research, regional planning, grant programs, data and reporting, and community outreach. Before pursuing public policy, she studied computer science and worked in IT, experiences that strengthened her analytical and problem-solving skills. Through her MPP program and VISTA service, Kara is now building experience in policy research, regional planning, grant programs, data and reporting, and community outreach

Through her VISTA year, Kara is looking forward to learning how local governments and regional organizations collaborate, and how projects move from an identified need to a real community benefit. “I’m excited to take what I’m learning in my MPP program and apply it to real-world work,” says Kara, who relocated to soutwest Florida to pursue this experiential opportunity. “I’m really looking forward to learning how policy, research, and collaboration can come together to make a meaningful difference in communities.”