Izabela Portka '02

Consultant
U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)*

Izabela Portka monitors OSHA's policy issuance process. She participates in creating new policies regarding administrative issues such as human resources management. She also reviews and comments on draft policies for workplace safety standards, enforcement programs, strategic partnerships, and others.

"I am an April 2002 graduate who came from Poland originally to study at Grand Valley State University. Thanks to the graduate assistantship I received from the School of Public and Nonprofit Administration, I had the opportunity to participate in the Masters of Public Administration program. What I value most about the MPA program and my professors is that the learning was very much hands-on. We discussed and studied cases that we were directly involved in, read and wrote about things we could directly relate to, and had a chance to voice our opinions and hear others. This 'human interaction' was a very important aspect of my studies; it prepared me more than books for the real-life situations where communication, cooperation, and understanding of common goals are very important."

* Organization affiliations are provided for identification purposes only. All statements are the personal opinions of the individuals and do not reflect an organizational endorsement of GVSU or its MPA program.