Justin Boomgarden

Why did you choose PPL as your major and what was the appeal of the Lott program?

I chose Public Policy Leadership as my major because I knew it could shape me into both a better person and a better student. When researching this major, I learned that some of Ole Miss's finest professors work in the Lott Leadership program and that the smaller class sizes would help to facilitate more meaningful academic discussion. Additionally, the leadership skills that this program offers will be valuable to me in far more than just my academic life.

What are your career aspirations?

Currently I am a pre-law student and hope to be admitted into a top law school. Although I am not entirely sure what I will do after law school, my degree in Public Policy Leadership will give me plenty of flexibility. I plan to become an attorney after law school, but this degree would have me prepared for a career in public service if I ever chose to enter such a field. In general though, I plan to be a great leader in whatever career path I go down, and PPL will be extremely helpful in allowing me to do so.

Is there a professor that has been particularly helpful to you?

Dr. Fritz has been the most outstanding professor I have had the pleasure of being taught by in my time at Ole Miss. He is fantastic at fostering a classroom environment that calls for thoughtful and careful discussion of major policy dilemmas that our country (and the world as a whole) faces. Dr. Fritz's classes have taught me how to effectively argue a point and how to carefully consider and dissect both sides of any given argument.

What is a particularly meaningful way you have engaged in a community either on or off campus?

One meaningful way I engaged in our community was my involvement in my fraternity's pickleball charity tournament for Palmer Home. By supporting this program, we helped to provide housing for young Mississippians who had been fostered or raised in an unsatisfactory home environment. In addition to this, we helped our Ole Miss community come together for some friendly competition and to unify under a common cause.