How I became a PAM major

Before we jump in, I thought I should formally introduce myself, first.

My name is Makafui Fiavi. I'm a rising senior, PAM major and Global Health minor in the school of Human Ecology. I'm one of the members of PAMO and part of the team that launched this blog about a year ago.

I switched my major the first day of orientation at Cornell. I came to Cornell as a pre-medicine, Human Biology, Health and Society major. My senior year in high school, however, clarified to me that my passion was not what was going on in bodies at the micro-level (though it is certainly fascinating). It was the macro-level, human interactions that interested me.

I became a PAM major by accident. Thinking back to freshman year, I was drawn to students' testimonials that they felt that they were learning things that would help them "change the world", and the "analysis" part of the major's title. I half-knew what i was getting into, but not much.

It would take me a couple of semesters to realize the heavy Economics (my worst subject)emphasis of the major and to be able to explain to other people what my major was about. It took me a while to realize that I was being taught how to research well, how to recognize good (and bad) research and how to use research to affect policy.

I was prompted to restructure the direction of this blog by various reasons listed below:

1. Pursuing a major that requires elaboration every time someone asks about my studies, I've had to dig deep and find what PAM means to me personally, and why I'm choosing to pursue it as a major. I've always described it as the study of how the Government, the Public Sector and Every day people act to influence each other. It's about learning not only how Government policies affect our everyday lives, but also how those actions are shaped by history, culture and choices that everyday people make, usually as a group. Going into senior year, I'm starting to panic (a little bit) about what I've learned during this past (almost) 4 years and how that translates into real-life applications. I hope that this blog would help me delve deeper into finding those translations, further understanding the major that has been part of my life for the past 4 years and ways to help others answer that question, "so, you're a PAM major...what's THAT about?"

2. The coolest thing about being a PAM major is the other students. No two people have the same ambitions or look to use their PAM degree in the exact way. For example, for me, finding the Global Health minor helped me focus my PAM degree, looking closely at the way policy (government's, donors', civil societies', individuals, etc) affect health and social issues such as AIDS, Malaria and Maternal Health on a global scale. In the same way, I've gotten the privilege to talk to PAM majors interested in Consulting, Corporate Law, Social Work, the Entertainment industry, Medicine and the Non-profit field. I would like to explore more interaction, between my major and minor in this blog, as well as explore the way Public Policy intersects with other fields, as well as its impacts on every day life.

3. Though it is a small major, PAM majors rarely know each other or have a space to talk, discuss among themselves about what they're learning, what they're passionate about and what their dreams and aspirations are. I hope to create a forum place for all those interested in any of those things listed above.

As part of this restructuring, I plan to interview students, faculty and especially PAM alumni, as well as highlighting organizations intersecting Public Policy with other domains along with featuring websites, blogs, shows and current events that focus on Public Policy.

This should be an experience. Join me for the ride!