When I was a little girl, I wanted to be an artist. After my favorite Aunt told me that I would probably starve, I decided I wanted to be a writer instead. I spent my high school years writing for The Spark, and eventually became Editor. I went to college dreaming of winning a Pulitzer!

Like many students, I could not resist trying something new and traded my Journalism major for a double in Political Science and Philosophy. I wasn’t attracted to a particular career, but to certain job qualities. I wanted to do work that was fun, intellectually stimulating, and served the public good. And here I am today! A bureaucrat.

Although I am being tongue in cheek, I describe myself as a bureaucrat for a reason. The very word, bureaucrat, symbolizes everything that is the opposite of what I aspired to be when I was a girl. It is a word that symbolizes everything I resist becoming today. Unfortunately, it is a word that often comes to mind when people think of those of us who work in the public sector.

I think it is fair to say that the public sector has earned its not so flattering reputation over the years. That said, there has always been good public spirited people in the government workforce, and some of the best people I know are also 'bureaucrats'.

I like to think I am part of a new generation of public servants that are working to make government more innovative, more efficient, and just plain better. It's not easy. Change in government is slow. It can be difficult to build partnerships that matter. And many days my enthusiasm melts into cynicism.

But, at the end of the day, I am a progressive. I believe government has a job to do that it alone can do. It has an obligation to do that job as well as it can. I also believe that government is only as good as the people in it. That is why I vote. That is why I teach in a MPA program. And that is why I am a bureaucrat.