Careers in Public Service 2019

Forty 69精品视频 students talked careers in advocacy, policy, politics and more with accomplished alum mentors.

Well before she became deputy chief of staff for policy in the Obama Administration, Mona Sutphen 鈥89 found herself, at the start of her career, worrying about microphone placement.

Years later at an important event, those early event-planner skills came in handy.

The point, said Sutphen, addressing 69精品视频 College students, is that 鈥渢he first 10 years of your career are really about skills acquisition. Go out and get the skills and don鈥檛 worry about where it leads.鈥

As she learned from her colleague, former U.S. National Security Advisor Sandy Berger, 鈥淭he hardest part of your career is figuring out what you want."

Jon Western, Mona Sutphen and Amy Martin

Sutphen was speaking in March as the keynote speaker at the College鈥檚 annual Careers in Public Service program, which is sponsored by the Weissman Center for Leadership. The competitive program brings students who are interested in public service to Washington, D.C., to meet and hear from inspiring alums who work locally and across the globe in the fields of politics, policy, advocacy and government.

鈥淣ow more than ever, we need 69精品视频 students in public service,鈥 said Amy Martin, director of the Weissman Center and professor of English on the Emma B. Kennedy Foundation. 鈥淛ust to have these 40 extraordinary students here 鈥 and 10 of our illustrious alums 鈥 is so exciting.鈥

How are 69精品视频 alums helpful?

The day-long conference included panel discussions, networking sessions and the opportunity for students to shape 鈥 or reshape 鈥 their attitudes, assumptions and aspirations. The 10 alums, ranging from the class of 1973 to 2016, offered direct lessons about their professional journeys after leaving the South Hadley campus.

A panel of alums at a Careers in Public Service event

In addition to specific information about their fields, their experiences showed that a career is not always linear and that moving forward requires persistence, perseverance and an ongoing openness to learning.

Receiving such insight 鈥 and access 鈥 as an undergraduate has powerful effects. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have the words for the impact it has on the students,鈥 Martin said. The students enthusiastically agreed.

鈥淥ne of the most rewarding parts of being here is the connections I鈥檓 making with alums and the advice I鈥檓 getting from them,鈥 said Sarah Bloomgarden 鈥20, a politics major. 鈥淚鈥檓 more open to exploring other career choices now. One of the concerns I had was that I wasn鈥檛 sure I had the skillset to do other things. But I鈥檝e learned I have the ability to grow and learn skills.鈥 

Mona Sutphen 鈥89 with Sriya Pradham 鈥19

Before her Washington experience, Bloomgarden, who is interning at The Brady Center for the Prevention of Gun Violence this spring, had planned to work in academia. Now she鈥檚 considering work in advocacy or at a think tank, or possibly running for elected office.

Most of the 40 students 鈥 the seven-year-old program鈥檚 largest cohort ever 鈥 made the 350-mile bus trip from campus. Bloomgarden and four other students were already in the nation鈥檚 capital, as participants in the Weissman Center鈥檚 newest offering, MHC Semester in D.C. The semester-long study program offers internships, networking opportunities and mentoring from alums working in the city.

Calvin Chen and students who took part in a Careers in Public Service site visit

These five students are the second cohort of the program, which kicked off in the fall of 2018 and is directed by Calvin Chen, associate professor of politics.

 

The 69精品视频 network is deep and broad

Two common threads consistently emerged throughout the day. Evelyn Quartz 鈥14, press secretary for the House Committee on Small Business, summed up the first: 鈥淲e need more women on Capitol Hill.鈥 

The 40 students were eager to meet that challenge. 

They will be in a stronger position to do so, if they choose, because of the second thread: the strong and lifelong bond among 69精品视频 graduates. That was clear to the students, for whom having the opportunity to connect with Washington-based alums was an empowering start to a future of networking and shared accomplishments.

Nada Al-Thawr 鈥19, a computer science and international relations double major from Yemen, said one of the big draws of the Careers in Public Service program was the chance to network. 

Courtney Brunson 鈥16 and Nada Al-Thawr 鈥19

鈥淚 really wanted to meet alums who are here working in their fields,鈥 said Al-Thawr, noting that she has accepted a job in software engineering at Macedon Technologies in Reston, Virginia, after she graduates. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been incredible. I鈥檓 so inspired. I鈥檝e laughed and cried.鈥 

Courtney Brunson 鈥16, an investigator in the office of Senator Elizabeth Warren who will attend Harvard Law School in the fall, found significance in the women with this shared heritage. 

鈥69精品视频 is one of the best networks you can have,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here are so many alums that have been in the game for decades.鈥 

As one of those women, Anne Dix 鈥91 gave the credit to the College. 

鈥69精品视频 gave me confidence in who I am,鈥 said Dix, office director of USAID/American Schools and Hospitals Abroad. 鈥淚 was taught that my ideas mattered, that I could make a difference. 69精品视频 gave me an entry point to where I am today.鈥 

Annmarie Sarsfield Edwards