How Anna Sène Is Mapping a More Effective Path to Public Service

From Senegal to Carnegie Mellon, Heinz College Graduate Anna Sène Bridges Policy and Data

Anna Sène (MSPPM-DA '26) grew up in Senegal and expected to stay close to home for her education. That changed in high school, when she earned a scholarship to attend the United World College Red Cross Nordic in Norway, an international school built around the mission of making education a force for peace.

"Being at the United World College with so many dedicated young people made me love public service and doing work that helps support and uplift communities," Sène said.

Students ran campaigns with Amnesty International and worked with refugees in the local community. It’s where Sène learned English, completed an International Baccalaureate, and found the direction she wanted her career to take. Through the Davis United World College Scholars Program, she enrolled at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where she studied political science, Arabic, and economics.

From Policy to Data

At Macalester, Sène worked with World Without Genocide, a Minnesota-based organization advocating against ongoing atrocities and raising awareness about historical ones. She also interned with the Minnesota Senate and watched the legislative process unfold.

"It was too slow for me," Sène said. "Things weren't moving as fast as I wanted."

That frustration sparked her interest in graduate school. She applied to Heinz College's Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute, which gave undergraduates a preview of graduate-level study and introduced her to data analytics. Before that experience, she describes herself as a policy person who did not think she could do anything data-related.

"I found that I could actually analyze policies and visualize data," Sène said. "So that pushed me to apply."

As an international student, she also knew that the development roles she was interested in required a master's degree and that her post-graduation options were limited by the one-year Optional Practical Training window. The data analytics track of Heinz College’s Public Policy and Management (MSPPM-DA) program, which came with a full tuition scholarship she had earned through the summer institute, was a clear next step.

"The choice wasn't really hard to make," she said. "It felt very natural."

Hands-On Work at Heinz College

Two courses stood out during Sène's time in the program. A Geographic Information System (GIS) course taught by Professor Kristen Kurland answered a question Sène had been carrying since internships where colleagues recommended the tool; at the time, Sène hadn’t understood how it applied to peacebuilding work. Kurland helped her bridge that gap.

For Sène's final project, she mapped food access in Sudan during the civil war, combining conflict incident data, population figures, and food market locations to produce maps that humanitarian organizations could use to direct aid.

"I was actually able to see how to use data analytics to help someone," she said. "I was like, 'Oh, this could be really helpful for organizations like the World Food Program or any humanitarian agency trying to bring aid into an area going through conflict.'"

The Policy Innovation Lab, taught by Professor Chris Goranson, was the second. Sène’s team worked with Neighborhood Allies, a Pittsburgh community organization, to map the language landscape of Allegheny County so the group could identify where to roll out digital inclusion programming. Sène was able to talk about that project in job interviews after graduation.

She also interned with Allegheny County's Department of Human Services, using data analytics to evaluate a jail re-entry program and identify who it was reaching, who it was missing, and why people were leaving early.

What She's Working Toward

Coming to Heinz College, Sène had her eye on a career working in large international organizations. Two years of working with local governments and Pittsburgh-based peace builders shifted that plan.

"Working at DHS and doing peace programming with local peace builders in Pittsburgh really made me appreciate working with local communities," Sène said.

Sène’s career ambitions are defined less by a particular title or sector than by the impact she wants to make.

"I hope to make people's lives better. Even if it's one person," she said. "Not in a way of like, 'Oh, I'm saving people,' but in a way that they themselves can say that their lives have improved because of the work that's being done."

_{Sène received the 2026 Otto A. Davis Award for her contributions to building and strengthening community within Heinz College.}

For prospective students, Sène offers a specific description of what Heinz gave her that she did not have before.

"Whichever room I enter, I can be the bridge between those who understand the stories of the people and the individuals who understand the data behind what's going on," she said. "Most people can do either or, but not both."