Melanie graduated from the MPP in Spring 2025 and she will be pursuing her PhD in Political Science at UNM beginning Fall 2025. Her goal is to produce policy research that informs and transforms how legal, mental health, and child welfare systems respond to post-separation domestic abuse—particularly in high-conflict family court custody cases where coercive control, psychological child abuse, and judicial decision-making bias intersect. She chose the MPP program to build an interdisciplinary foundation in policy analysis, program evaluation, and legislative reform, all rooted in community-informed and evidence-based practices. Her most meaningful memories come from the MPP cohort spaces where complex, often uncomfortable policy issues were met with intellectual honesty, mutual respect, and a shared desire for solutions grounded in evidence and ethics. Through the Evaluation Lab, the NM State Legislative Fellowship, and other project-based courses, Melanie learned how to translate lived experience into research-informed policy proposals—and how to stay rooted in the “why” behind the work, even when systems actively resist change. Most importantly, Melanie learned that impact doesn’t always come from the loudest voice at the table, but from the clearest one. Melanie would like to thank her five daughters; her extended network of family and friends; and her professors; mentors; and MPP cohort, that provided insight, guidance, and solidarity along the way.