Making a Global Impact: One LSU MPA Student's Journey in Public Service

In the summer of 2024, Marcus Ashiangmor (MPA, ’24) found himself giving Louisiana constituents a tour of the United States Capitol. Hosting visitors was one of his many responsibilities as an intern for Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) but the entire situation struck him as surreal.

“One of the craziest things that I still don’t believe, was the fact that… [I am] an African, who just got his internship a week before, and I am with native Louisiana people talking about 200-year-old artifacts and telling them history about America!” Marcus joked.

As he walked the halls of the Capitol, Marcus – a native Ghanaian – was just a few months away from earning his Master of Public Administration (MPA) from LSU. Little did Marcus know that at graduation in December 2024, he would be honored with the Astrid Merget Award, which goes to an MPA student who demonstrates a dedication to public service, citizenship, and community engagement. The honor marked another significant milestone in his already extensive journey of public service, which can be traced back to his upbringing in Ghana.

 

An Early Start in Public Service

"I grew up in one of the poor areas of Ghana, where education is very difficult for people to [attain] growing up," Marcus shared. "[My father] gave me the opportunity to go to [high school]. I took advantage of programs that gave me knowledge and ideas on how to become better for myself. I realized that once I was able to do that for myself, I should extend help to those who couldn’t do that for themselves. [That idea] became precious.”

One of those programs was a Model UN initiative, through which Marcus earned his first trip to the United States. "When I came to the U.S. when I was 14 years old, my eyes were like, ‘Whoa!’ There's a whole new world. The sky is the limit for me!'," he recalled. Marcus was later selected as one of Ghana’s top young diplomats, earning him an official trip with his peers to the United Nations General Assembly, where he met world leaders and witnessed international cooperation in action. Returning home, he began tutoring underprivileged children in his community and later earned an undergraduate degree in public administration from the University of Ghana.

 

Thriving in the MPA Program

Taking his education to the next level was never in doubt for Marcus; it was only a question of where to go. “When I was going through my choices, the one thing that was big for me was having a personal connection. So, who do I know in that school and can personally help navigate through the system?" he recalled. "One of my very close mentors back in [undergraduate] told me to come to LSU and he was also in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program."

Once at LSU, Marcus thrived. He had a “love for data,” which found an outlet in an analytics course taught by Assistant Professor Anmol Soni. He also formed close bonds with both the faculty and his fellow cohort members, who all provided invaluable guidance. “[The cohort] did almost everything together, and that really helped because I was the only international student in my class and yet I didn't even feel like it. There's a lot of cultural assimilation that you have to do, not only academically, but socially, as well.”

While in the program, Marcus honed his skills in data analytics, policy analysis, and government administration — tools that would prove invaluable in his internship on Capitol Hill. His coursework allowed him to engage in research examining whether the number of hours worked translates into higher income. With the support of Professor Soni, Marcus presented his research at the LSU Graduate Research Conference and the Southeastern Conference of Public Administration.

Beyond academics, Marcus found opportunities to make an impact. He joined the Tiger Prison Project, drawn to its mission of advocating for criminal justice reform and supporting the rehabilitation of formerly incarcerated individuals. His experiences in Ghana, where the justice system often disproportionately impacted marginalized communities, fueled his passion for this cause. "Growing up in Ghana, where you have a lot of your friends being incarcerated... I understand how it is important for people to be rehabilitated into the system," he explained. Marcus also volunteered with ENGage LSU, a program within the LSU College of Engineering designed to inspire K-12 students to pursue STEM careers through hands-on experiences, and became Vice President of the Graduate School Council.

 

Experiencing the Capitol & Looking to the Future

The seed for Marcus's time in Washington D.C. was planted during a course at LSU co-taught by Senator Cassidy and Associate Professor Roy Heidelberg, chair of the Department of Public Administration. The class, focused on AI ethics and regulations, provided Marcus with a firsthand glimpse into the American legislative process and the complexities of policymaking at the federal level. Despite initial apprehension due to his international upbringing – "I'm not even an American," he thought at the time – Marcus approached Senator Cassidy after class one day, and the Senator encouraged him to apply for an internship in his Washington D.C. office.

Immersed in the fast-paced world of Capitol Hill, Marcus worked alongside a policy advisor on the Senator’s staff, tackling issues related to commerce, veteran affairs, aging, and social security. He shadowed the Senator during committee hearings and participated in high-level policy meetings, where his MPA coursework provided a strong foundation for his internship duties and allowed him to quickly understand and contribute to the work of the Senator's office. "My policy advisor told me to go and sit on a meeting that [the senator's policy staff] were supposed to sit on ... and I went there, and in my head I'm like, 'You guys know I'm an intern, right?' But because of the training I'd had, I was able to convey a lot of the information," Marcus recalled.

Building on his love for data and its potential to inform public policy, Marcus is now pursuing an additional master's degree in industrial engineering from LSU, focusing on how data-driven solutions can improve efficiency and effectiveness in operations. He remains steadfast in his commitment to public service and credits his time in the Master of Public Administration program with making a difference. "My goal with whatever I'm doing right now," Marcus stated, "is to help change somebody’s mind, to help make something different for somebody." He later continued: "It doesn't matter where you are. It doesn't matter what the opportunity is. The most important thing is you make an impact; and so that is what the MPA has done for me.”

 

About the Department of Public Administration

For more than 40 years, the LSU Department of Public Administration has worked to improve the understanding and practice of administration and government. Building from a foundation of high-quality graduate education and scholarly research, our graduates find success in the public, non-profit, and private sectors — they work for the federal, state, and local governments, are legislators and attorneys, work as staff on Capitol Hill, and hold key positions with national healthcare providers, among many other varied accomplishments. Our researchers examine organizational, administrative, and policy sciences as they apply to government and governance, delving into important issues while remaining neutral. The department's primary degree offering is a 36-hour Master of Public Administration program that emphasizes management, public policy, and financial skills for those leading public agencies, nonprofit and health care organizations, and for-profit organizations that interact with governmental agencies.

Learn More About the Department of Public Administration