2023 Graduation Stories: Mary Monti

Hailing from Cary, North Carolina, Mary is double majoring in Public Policy and Psychology. She hopes to understand how our nation has become so polarized and what we can do to fix it. Mary is passionate about creating spaces for both the general public and policymakers to overcome their differences and find common ground forward.

Mary won 2023 Best Honors Thesis for her work looking into the regional differences in high school textbooks to assess how different perspectives  might therefore help shape different  political beliefs and ideologies. She worked closely with Sanford professor Kristin Goss to delve into this topic, and related fields, seeking to understand the promotion of democracy and state-level manifestations of what it means to be a good citizen. She has also worked closely with professor Eric Mlyn.

Read on to learn more about Mary Monti, her thesis, and what she plans to do next.

Honors Thesis

No Such Thing as a Textbook Case: Comparing Interstate Differences in High School Civics Education

Thesis Advisor: Professor Kristin A. Goss

why Public Policy?

Image

I started college as a psychology major, but with so many unprecedented political events happening in the news during my formative late-teenage years (Trump’s election, COVID, Black Lives Matter, January 6^th, to name a few), I found myself developing a passion for politics and a sense that political discourse and polarization were heading in a dangerous direction.

Much of the news feels like it involves people talking past one another and failing to communicate well or understand one another, which leaves us in a place of gridlock, anger, and defensiveness.

I wanted to major in public policy (as well as psychology!) so that I could develop not only an understanding of why people think and feel in particular ways but also an understanding of what tools and levers I could use to bring people together in productive ways, find common ground, and solve problems for the greater good.

Who are your role models in the field?

I have a few favorite political role models – the first I’d have to name is Liz Cheney. I don’t agree with all of her politics, but I followed the January 6^th hearings really closely this summer, and I deeply admire her commitment to truth, integrity, and her dedication to serving the country according to what she believed was best, even at the expense of her job. Her sense of self and self-sacrifice is something I very much hope to maintain in my own career.

I really admire Michelle Obama as a model of poise and confidence on a massive stage, as well as Barack Obama for his persuasiveness and ability to inspire.

I’m also impressed by Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin and their ability to thread a very narrow political needle, as well as Katie Porter for her clear-headedness and dedication to facts (and whiteboards!)

What is your thesis about?

.My thesis looks at interstate differences in high school civic education, and the ways in which states with different political persuasions teach students different ideas about the meaning and methods of citizenship.

I looked at high school government textbooks from California, Texas, and Florida and found that the more conservative a state is, the more likely they are to tell students that good citizenship involves obeying laws, paying taxes, and contributing to the economy while a more liberal state like California emphasizes civic actions like voting, contacting your elected officials, and joining a political protest.

I think this work would be most useful to education policymakers, but I think it’s also important for parents and lawmakers everywhere to understand, especially given how much we’re discussing the values that should be taught in school right now.

I’m really passionate about this topic because schools are a huge source of political beliefs. If young students in one state learn different baseline beliefs about citizenship from students in another state, it’s going to be potentially difficult for those individuals to communicate productively when they meet later in life at university, at a job, or on the floor of Congress.

What are your next steps after graduating?

Image

I’m not sure yet! I’m planning to end up in Washington, DC and am in the middle of the job application process. I’m hoping that I’ll end up working on something related to the issues of partisanship and political communication, but still waiting to find out exactly what that will be!

What is your dream job?

Ultimately, I really hope to work directly on bringing people together in bipartisan & nonpartisan ways to learn about politics and problem-solve. Groups like Braver Angels and the NC Leadership Fund that create public forums for people to discuss tough topics so they can find common ground and maybe even solutions are really exciting to me, so I think my dream job would be doing facilitating conversations like that in some capacity.

What will you miss most about Duke and Sanford?

I’ll absolutely miss the people the most – I’ve been lucky enough to find so many kind, intelligent, and wonderful people here at Duke and in Sanford that support me both personally and professionally. I want to give a special shoutout to Kristin Goss for advising me on my thesis and supporting me through this process and to Eric Mlyn for getting me interested in public policy and research in the first place. I’ll also really miss Elise Goldwasser & Suz Allen – they’ve both been so kind and supportive through all my chaotic internship hunting. I’m so grateful.

Any words of advice for future public policy majors?

Take advantage of all the opportunities Sanford has to offer! We’re SO lucky to be attached to a full grad school and all the opportunities that come with it, so make sure you pop into events, talk to professors, and use the Sanford career center – I promise it’ll make your experience here so much richer.