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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UC Riverside chapter.

I am pursuing a minor in Public Policy and this quarter I took Intro to Public Policy Analysis. This class is designed to give students background knowledge in the realm of public policy. Although this is just an introductory class, I have learned so much interesting knowledge that I think can be useful to everyone.

empty classroom
Photo by Feliphe Schiarolli from Unsplash
What is Public Policy in the first place? It is the study of policies the government implements in the United States. In this class, I have learned about taxes, welfare programs, healthcare, immigration, and much more. Some things I have known like the tax system, but other new information is jaw-dropping. For instance, I did know about Proposition 13 in California which allows million-dollar homes to be taxed at a very low rate. This allows the wealthy to continuously make more profit by renting these homes.

Photo by You X Ventures on Unsplash
I think we all can agree the United States education system is flawed and some of the classes we have taken throughout our K-12 years were not useful. In college, we are given the freedom to take classes that pertain to our interests. I love biology and science, but I also find a passion in government and politics. I love how we have the freedom to learn about both.

Taking this Intro to Public Policy class allowed me to become more educated about policies in government that I think everyone should know about. Our society is becoming more involved in discussing current event issues and it’s important that these are well-researched conversations. It’s so easy for misinformation to spread and for people to believe this false information. Having a background in public policy analysis will allow people to debunk these lies and be able to share real knowledge on today’s issues.

This class has been my favorite class so far in my college journey and I am excited to continue taking public policy classes in the future. I highly recommend everyone that wants to become more educated, and involved, in today’s current event issues to try out a public policy class.  

Alyssa Monroy

UC Riverside '24

A cellular, molecular, and developmental biology major and public policy minor that loves science, beauty, and writing.
20 year old creative writing major with a love for skincare, representation, and art. When not laying down and watching cartoons, I can be found working on my novel or browsing through baby name forums.