Kalpana Vissa (WLP class of 2015) reflects on her lasting experience in WLP and its application to her professional career both at GW and across government agencies. During her “unbelievably memorable” time in WLP, she was in the Science, Health, and Medicine cohort where she strengthened her passion for healthcare. During her time at GW, she pursued an undergraduate degree in Public Health and a minor in French and right after, pursued a Masters of Public Health (MPH) as a GW Presidential Fellow at the Milken Institute School of Public Health.
Subsequent to earning her MPH, she was named a Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) finalist by the Office of Personnel Management, a highly selective program for recent graduates of advanced degree programs to work in the federal government and gain invaluable leadership and training opportunities. As a PMF, she currently has an appointment at the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG), an agency dedicated to investigating fraud, waste, and abuse of all HHS programs. As part of the Fellowship program, she also completed a developmental assignment as a detailee at the Executive Office of the President's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the Public Health Branch.
In addition to her federal fellowship position, Kalpana holds an adjunct faculty position in the GWU School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) where she teaches an undergraduate health sciences elective, Psychosocial Aspects of Health and Illness. She values her commitment to education at GW as she pays it back to students in the health and medical fields.
Kalpana credits much of her career and professional proficiency to WLP, as she recalls that the program set a path for the rest of college and her future career. Specifically, she says that “symposium was very rewarding and valuable”, and that WLP was a great experience for freshmen to inspire young women for the rest of their college career and life post-graduation. One of her favorite symposia was hearing from and learning about the career of a Secret Service agent for the Obama daughters.
Kalpana Vissa is extremely thankful for the experience she had during the program and continues to stay involved as a member of the WLP Advisory Board’s communications committee. She hopes to stay connected with the program as she continues her professional and personal life driven by pearls of wisdom through WLP.