Meet the Co-Editors: Rebecca Tyus

The view from Rebecca’s home in the foothills of Littleton, Colorado.

My name is Rebecca Tyus and I am a second year Master’s in Public Policy student. My policy interests include higher education policy. This past summer I had an amazing experience interning in Colorado with the Governor’s office and the Colorado Department of Higher Education. I am incredibly excited to be back at Sanford, serving as one of the Journal’s co-editors in chief.

Q&A with Rebecca

Where are you from?

I am from the foothills outside of Littleton, Colorado. I grew up in a remote area at 8,000 feet! Between undergrad and coming to Sanford I also had the opportunity to spend about a year living in Washington, D.C. 

What were you doing before Sanford?

I graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a B.A. in political science in 2019. Between undergrad and coming to Sanford I worked in Colorado and D.C. In Colorado I was a staff assistant for a Colorado Congressman for six months. After that I moved to D.C. where I interned and then worked as a lobbyist. 

Favorite memory from first year?

My favorite part about my first year at Sanford was the people. Some of my favorite memories are spending time with my cohort on the lawn outside of Sanford, at trivia, or hanging out at a brewery. I have found a great community at Sanford!

Favorite Sanford class/professor?

It is hard to choose as I have loved so many of my classes at Sanford and think that so many of them teach amazing skills and content that will help me in my career. If I had to pick a favorite class so far though it would be the client consulting class in the spring of your first year. It was a great experience to work with a team on one project for the semester, learn how to work with a client, and create a final report and presentation. I particularly loved delving into the topic for my client, Durham Technical Community College! I was able to learn so much about higher education and workforce development policies.  

What are you most excited about in your second year?

After being in Colorado over the summer, I was excited to come back and see everyone in Durham. I am also excited for my classes. Getting to delve into my master’s project on return on investment approaches for postsecondary institutions will be incredibly interesting. I am also excited for all the other classes and opportunities this year including my Child Advocacy class and working  with the Journal.  

Policy interests and what you hope to do after graduation?

After graduation I hope to return home to Colorado and work in higher education policy. I would love to work at the state level to make impactful change to help students have access to higher education, succeed in their education, and then successfully enter the labor market. 

What makes you excited about the Journal? Why should someone submit to the Journal?

I was able to publish two pieces with the Journal last year and thought it was a great way for me to publish my work and get my ideas out there. As students we write amazing pieces that only our professors and teaching assistant get to read. The Journal is an amazing way to get your work out there and also to learn from our fellow students. The Journal is a great space for students to improve their writing skills, repurpose work from class, and publish their work. 

I am excited to take on this role this year and look forward to reading the pieces that are submitted to the Journal! It will be a great way for me to help my fellow students as well as learn from them about new and exciting policy areas.