Leandra graduated from the MPP in 2024. She received her BA in Music Performance from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Leandra works as the Evaluation and Analysis Manager at Hired, a nonprofit in Minneapolis/St. Paul that provides a variety of career services for youth and adults. She has been working on several evaluation projects in this role and is excited to continue finding ways to improve programs and services using research and data. Long-term, she would love to work more closely with welfare policy analysis and development to improve the current cash assistance system. She chose to pursue an MPP because she wanted to understand why our welfare system is structured the way that it is and how to influence change. Leandra really enjoyed the opportunity to study issues of poverty and inequality using multiple methods and approaches. Check out Leandra's policy blog!