Alexis Sierra West
314 Hullihen Hall | Newark, DE 19716 | (302) 423-2634 | lexiwest@udel.edu | www.linkedin.com/in/lexiwest
EDUCATION
Master of Public Administration, Expected May 2017
University of Delaware
Specialization: Public Policy and Management
Honors Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Political Science, Expected May 2016
University of Delaware
Concentrations: Public and Nonprofit Administration, Global Studies (Respectively)
Minor: History
GPA: 3.8
Deans List (Fall 2013-Present)
EXPERIENCE
Legislative Researcher
January 2016-Present
Office of Government Relations, University of Delaware
• Help to coordinate the University's legislative clearinghouse function.
• Respond to legislative monitoring and update requests.
• Provide administrative support to coordinate and develop the Government Relations contact list.
• Provide staff support and assist in the coordination of strategic interactions with state government officials
and key business and community leaders.
Teaching Assistant
August 2015-Present
School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware
• Engage students in order to aid understanding of class material and coordinate their attendance to policyrelated events on campus.
• Serve as a resource for class professor to ensure effective class communication and operation.
Public Administration Fellow
June 2015-Present
Institute for Public Administration, University of Delaware
• Analyzed and revised the Walkability Assessment Tool under the Institute for Public Administration’s
Complete Communities Project.
• Attended in-field walkability workshops to collect best practices and gathered visual material to incorporate
into tool update.
• Collected and analyzed stakeholder feedback to determine most valuable changes to be made to the project.
Constituent Relations Intern
January 2015-June 2015
Office of Congressman John Carney, Wilmington and Georgetown
• Interacted with various stakeholders in Delaware to understand and communicate their concerns and policy
interests to the Congressman and his staff.
• Prepared briefs on policy related events in Delaware to ensure staff preparedness and constituent
engagement throughout the state.
Resident Assistant
January 2015-June 2015
Residence Life and Housing, University of Delaware
• Supervised thirty-four freshman students to enforce University conduct standards and facilitate the safety
and engagement of the students.
• Advised those students on academic plans, participation in relevant student organizations, and general
immersion and inclusion in their academic and social endeavors.
ACTIVITIES
Volunteer
May 2014-Present
USO
• Speak with military members and their families to ensure comfort, safety, and well being during their
travels and at organization events hosted to entertain, inform, and engage those families.
Alexis Sierra West
314 Hullihen Hall | Newark, DE 19716 | (302) 423-2634 | lexiwest@udel.edu | www.linkedin.com/in/lexiwest
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to make a difference. I have feverishly pursued
academic and professional challenges with the goal of acquiring practical knowledge, pushing
my personal limits, and maximizing the opportunities that have been made available to me
through these efforts. While my perception of making a difference has shifted from finding a
position of prominence and recognition to one of service and in-the-field policy research and
work, that central desire continues to fuel my academic and professional efforts. As a result of
my professional experiences thus far, I have found great joy and fulfillment in serving people
and communities, and my vocational goals have therefore shifted from making a name for
myself to effectively changing lives through policy research and implementation.
The more I work in the field of public policy and administration, the more I realize that no
one could never hope to become an expert in every field, though I endeavor to spend my career
attempting to pursue my first and greatest love: learning. My plan is to seek opportunities to
learn about issue areas that I know little about in an effort to implement the greatest possible
change on society that I can. So far, I have enjoyed learning about transportation and health
policy, and have come to appreciate and value their importance in a variety of related issue areas
and as possible vehicles to positively impact society.
My vocational goals ultimately culminate in working for the federal or state agency with a
direct impact on policy issues that are relevant to all citizens. I am also interested in staffing
campaigns and working for politicians, nonprofits, or businesses with policy interests similar to
my own. In this way, I would have the ability to further the research, analysis, and
implementation of policies for areas I am interested in. Though I have had the opportunity to
practice these skills with the Institute for Public Administration at the University of Delaware, I
welcome opportunities to expand my knowledge base and engage in new policy areas.
Past research experiences have prepared me with the technical and practical skills of data
collection, analysis, critical thinking, and reporting. Working in a team setting has allowed me to
hone my interpersonal skills, which make me an ideal collaborator with a deeply rooted desire to
produce the best possible products through combined team efforts. My longstanding selfmotivation has propelled me through high school, college, and obtaining work experiences, and I
therefore look forward to finding more opportunities to challenge myself. I personally feel
unfulfilled if I am not maximizing my time and opportunities available to me, making idle time
and lackluster work efforts impossible for me to indulge in. Along with taking on such
opportunities comes a need for me to be highly organized, making it easier for me to operate on
timelines and checklists. I feel confident that I would be able to effectively implement these
skills and my past experiences in an effective manner for future internships.