Academic interests, CVs, and other questions

I’m applying for a master of public admin program to my local, urban, state university. I have a BA in political science from the same state university system, but I earned it a long, long time ago. I’m confident that I will get into the program I’m applying for, but there are parts of the application that are completely unfamiliar to me and I don’t know how to navigate.

One is a CV. In my work and volunteer life, I have contributed to some public policy things that I’m proud of that i think are relevant to the field of study that I wouldn’t ordinarily include on a resume - ran a nonpartisan election campaign (not mine) that increased voter turnout by a significant margin, co-wrote a policy guide, etc. Not sure how to include these things on a CV/resume or even if I should. My path is not linear, and I have far more work experience than academic experience at this point in my life.

The other is academic interests, specifically referenced within my personal statement. The prompt directs me to explain my background and academic interests, among other things. Academic interests was not a thing when I applied to undergrad in the dark ages of the early 1990s (or wasn’t in my circles/schools). There are some broad topics that I’ve followed, volunteered in, policy watched, etc., in my adult life, but I don’t necessarily have hands on experience or expertise in them.

I’m going to grad school now because (a) I can finally afford it (b) has been a goal for the past 20 years (c) it’s a logical next step in my career, in which I’ve grown bored after 10 years. I’m deeply interested in policy and systems change, need the finance and data analysis skills to get to the next job tier. No one goes into public service to be rich, but I would like to make more $$ and feel like I’m stuck at my level.

Basically looking for more information on these areas from those who’ve been around the grad school block. I’ve read the archives and run searches here too.