UNC MPA Student Receives John M. Belk Impact Fellowship

UNC Master of Public Administration student Syrena Travis recently received The Hunt Institute’s John M. Belk Impact Fellowship. This honor is awarded to 14 outstanding students in North Carolina who are interested in educational equity and service in the state. Impact Fellows are placed in a 10-month internship, where they work with organizations toward increasing college access, completion, and workforce relevance in North Carolina. 

Travis is a generalist in the MPA program and is interested in education policy in urban local government. At an early age, she learned how policymakers control the access, content, and quality of educational resources. 

“Growing up, I learned how education is the key to escaping poverty and accessing social mobility,” said Travis. “However, obtaining a quality education is difficult for low-income students and minorities.”  

Travis applied to the MPA program to develop the skills necessary for reaching her professional goals. With the leadership and analytical skills learned through the program, she hopes to ultimately remove the barriers that prevent students from receiving access to an equal and fair education.

After graduating from the program, Travis plans to work at the Office of Academic Policy and Systems in New York City’s Department of Education. Growing up in a rural area, she experienced different barriers to quality education. After moving to Brooklyn in the third grade, she said she found it increasingly difficult to catch up with the students in her class. 

“I had to work twice as hard as my classmates to learn what I missed and to keep up with the material,” she recalled. 

In her professional career, she said she hopes to close this gap in learning outcomes and work to provide a free and quality education to all students--regardless of their background.

As an Impact Fellow, Travis works with different education leaders across the state. She currently works with MyFutureNC to research effective methods of education attainment. Although the virtual nature of this semester has made her studies difficult, she thanks the professors, faculty, and staff of the program for being supportive and listening to students’ individual needs during this unusual time. The School and MPA program return this gratitude to Travis and happily celebrate her dedication and work.