Kyla Prussman ’25 M ’26

Kyla Prussman ’25 M ’26 | International Relations major, French minor | Master of Public Policy 

While completing her undergraduate degree, Kyla Prussman ‘25 M ’26 knew she wanted to pursue a master’s degree. When Saint Anselm College’s Master of Public Policy program was announced, she immediately recognized it as the perfect fit.

Why are you pursuing a graduate degree? 

Going into senior year, I knew I wanted to pursue a master’s because I was interested in continuing my education. After seeing and hearing my professors’ experiences with graduate programs, it solidified my interest. Earning a master’s degree gives me an edge when looking for jobs, which was also a big part of my decision. 

Why earn a master’s degree at Saint Anselm? 

When I was deciding what program/school to pursue my master’s from, there were rumors of Saint Anselm creating a Master of Public Policy program. Once they announced the program in the Fall 2025, I knew it was the perfect fit for me. Receiving my undergraduate degree at a Benedictine liberal arts college is something that will impact me for the rest of my life. The ability to pursue a master’s degree at that same institution made the decision very easy. Also, I knew the foundation of the program was going to be amazing because of how amazing the Politics Department professors are, in particular, Professor Jennifer Lucas and Professor Anne Holthoefer. 

What were you involved in as an undergraduate student? 

During my time as an undergrad at Saint Anselm, I was lucky to be a part of so many great places on campus. I was a member of women’s cross country and track and field. I was a captain for both teams my senior year. I was also a representative for my team in Head Game Project, which aims to start conversations surrounding student athletes and their mental health across campus. My junior year, I received the Albert H. Gordon Fellowship, which provides two juniors or seniors a stipend over the summer to work on a research project of their choice with a faculty advisor. I worked with Professor Erik Cleven to work on my project, which ultimately became my senior thesis: A (Radical) Femininomenon: Why Women Join Sexist Islamist Extremist Groups. Ultimately, I was able to utilize the amazing opportunities at Saint Anselm and travel to present my thesis in Washington D.C. and Chicago. I also was a peer tutor for politics and French from sophomore to senior year at the Academic Resource Center (ARC). I also did some volunteering through the Meelia Center for Community Engagement at sites like Kids Café and Access Academy. 

You worked with Professor Elizabeth Rickenbach on another undergraduate research project. What was that experience like? 

The spring of my junior year I knew I wanted to somehow get into research and reached out to a couple of politics professors to see if they needed any help with any projects. I was pointed in the direction of Professor Rickenbach in the Psychology Department who was starting a research project on the preferences and positions of older voters ahead of the 2024 Presidential election. Over the summer going into my senior year, I helped Professor Rickenbach complete eighty-eight zoom interviews with 65+ year old New Hampshire voters. Through this process I learned how to perform semi-structured interviews, how to properly store personal data (demographic data, transcripts, audio files), and so much more. Now we are starting to analyze the data and trying to find similarities and differences among the transcripts. Throughout the whole process, Professor Rickenbach served as an amazing mentor and has allowed me to be very hands on in this process. I’ve learned so much about the ins and outs of the research process that I wouldn’t have gotten without Professor Rickenbach, so I consider myself very lucky. 

Why did you choose your specific research project on elderly voting preferences? 

I didn’t specifically choose this topic of research, as it was Professor Rickenbach’s idea. I found it interesting because of how impactful 65+ year old voters are in elections. There really isn’t that much data, other than poll data, on how they became the voter they are today. I also think looking at common stereotypes such as, “as you age you become more conservative,” is super important because it might help to understand and break down the immense political polarization we see in politics today. I’m also very interested in looking at the preferences and positions of older voters across their lifespans with a gendered perspective to see if that yields anything interesting.