By Andrea Grant
noteworthy
"You need to know who you are and why you want to do this—even if it’s as simple as a wrong you want to right or a broader social question you want to understand better.”
That’s what campaign and media strategist (and Obama administration veteran) Roger Fisk, BA ’94, MSP ’00, wants students to consider as they embark on political careers. Fisk shared lessons learned from his own path in a candid Zoom call that kicked off Professor Christina Kulich’s January Washington Seminar, an immersive course that gives students a feel for life inside the Beltway.
But what if you’re not sure you want to enter the political fray?
Political science major Haley Donovan, Class of 2023, loves politics and wants to make a difference, but she has concerns about working in a hyper-charged, hyper-partisan environment. The weeklong series of intimate virtual meetings showed her how real people build careers, balance their lives, and navigate the ever-changing political landscape.
Students asked Fisk for career tips; discussed voting rights and election management with former Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar; dove into polling data with Political Research Center Director David Paleologos; and met with diplomats, journalists, policy analysts, and other insiders.
Now, instead of a binary choice—run for office or find another field altogether—Donovan has options. “I can see myself working in the nonprofit sector like our speaker from the United States Institute of Peace, or in education,” she says. “Maybe that’s how I’ll make my impact.”
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