Meet Oksana Tsykova, Kristin Tanner, Lara Devieux, and Annette Baldwin, Master of Public Administration (MPA) Online alumni with different careers whose professional lives have been transformed by their joint capstone project.
Baldwin has a nonprofit operations background, while Tanner is a first-grade teacher at a school for unhoused children. Tsykova serves as a director for a nonprofit that provides services to those who cannot afford legal representation, while Devieux works in investment and asset management in the private sector. Despite their different backgrounds, these four women came together to do a final capstone project on NATO defense spending. They graduated from the program with transformational knowledge, advanced skill sets, and friends for life.
From project team members to lifelong friends
The project team described their group dynamic as exceptionally close-knit and supportive. Tanner emphasized that common vision, ability to work well together, complementary backgrounds, and similar work ethic created a dynamic that fostered lifelong relationships. Tsykova agreed that the project highlighted the team’s broad range of skills and diverse career paths, which ultimately brought them closer as they discovered their common ground. She characterized the capstone as a significant but joyful commitment, marked by mutual gratitude, positivity, and a willingness to challenge one another.
My experience has been incredible. At first, I was extremely intimidated when I started the program, but I learned a great deal quickly and made friends. We have faced numerous challenges and had a lot of good laughs, making it all fun. We nicknamed ourselves ‘The Golden Girls’.– Annette Baldwin,
MPA Online ‘25
A capstone project on NATO defense spending
The team’s capstone project focused on developing a net assessment framework to evaluate the ability of 29 European NATO countries to increase defense spending in light of the ongoing Russian threat and evolving relationship with the United States.
With no prior experience in this area, the capstone project team conducted an in-depth analysis across multiple dimensions, examining military, political, economic, fiscal, legal, and temporal factors to understand each country’s capacity to allocate resources and provide for its own defense.
They created an analytical model to identify key enablers and constraints for each country and estimated the share of GDP that could realistically be devoted to military spending. Their report not only synthesized these findings at the country level but also addressed broader issues of European fragmentation and NATO’s need to step up collectively, offering insights they believe are valuable for policymakers in both the United States and Europe.
The question in mind was, ‘How far can they stretch the dollar?’ NATO has not invested in its military, and this has been challenging for Europe. The piece in the equation is the fragmentation, with 29 European NATO countries that have different systems and military operations. Our goal was to see how far they can go and if they can be united. We came up with an analytical way to evaluate it.
– Oksana Tsykova,
MPA Online ‘25
Master of Public Administration Online
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Find Out MorePride in tackling real world problems with their capstone project
Baldwin, Devieux, Tanner, and Tsykova all expressed strong pride in tackling a complex, real world problem through their NATO capstone project. The work pushed them far beyond their comfort zones, requiring extensive research in an unfamiliar area and demanding significant time, effort, and critical analysis.
Over the course of the project, they developed deep expertise in defense and foreign policy, examining NATO’s defense spending capacity in Europe and the broader geopolitical context. They highlighted how the constantly shifting landscape forced them to pivot frequently and adapt their approach, ultimately producing a rigorous final report and presentation that they believe can inform future discussions on NATO and European defense spending.
It was a project that took us out of our comfort zone. It required deep research into an unknown area, and we poured our hearts and souls into the project. The amount of hours and work that went into it showed in the product. It compelled us to examine a previously unknown area in depth and critically, and we became experts in that field. Our end product was one that will drive a future look into NATO and their defense spending, particularly in Europe, and the capacity to spend.
– Kristin Tanner,
MPA Online ‘25
How the MPA Online capstone project prepares students for the future
The project team emphasized how the capstone project significantly expanded their understanding of global affairs and strengthened their analytical skills. Through researching NATO, defense spending, and foreign policy, they learned to absorb large volumes of complex information, identify what truly matters, and translate that into clear recommendations and cohesive written work.
They also noted how the project pushed them beyond local politics into federal and international law. Tsykova said, “This project touched on the federal government and the international component, so using our skills at the local, state, federal, and international levels was an incredible accomplishment. I will be questioning a lot of things I read, and will be continuing to follow NATO, rooting for them to see how much spending they will accomplish.”
I have a broader knowledge of the worldview and foreign policy. The skills acquired from the project enabled me to absorb large amounts of information on a new topic, determine what was most important, make recommendations and solutions, and write a cohesive report.
– Lara Devieux,
MPA Online ‘25
Baldwin, Devieux, Tanner, and Tsykova made it clear that the capstone project demanded critical thinking, comfort with uncertainty, and the ability to pivot in response to fast-changing geopolitical developments. They believe that working on a project team with diverse perspectives and a shared vision prepared them for collaborative professional environments.
Devieux said it best, “I’ve appreciated meeting and interacting with people from different backgrounds, especially in the nonprofit sector. We have grown together over the years, learning from each other. I’ve built a group of lifelong friends.”
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