Penn State students make meaningful connections with alumni in Washington, D.C.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — More than 30 Penn State students traveled from University Park to Washington, D.C., on March 27 to participate in the School of Public Policy’s annual Career Day. The trip provided valuable opportunities for current students to learn from Penn State alumni working as policy professionals in the nation's capital.

The delegation included graduate students from the School of Public Policy’s Master of Public Policy program; undergraduate students from the Next Gen Leadership Academy; members of Pi Sigma Alpha, the Department of Political Science’s student honor society; and members of the Public Policy Association at Penn State. Students participated in multiple site visits and engaged with alumni in small groups and one-on-one sessions.

A group of 13 students visited the Brookings Institution, where they engaged with a panel of junior analysts and a senior fellow to gain insights into public policy careers. Brookings, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, conducts in-depth, nonpartisan research to improve policy and governance at local, national and global levels. Staff members Eric Urby, Rachel Perera, Ben Graham, Hannah Foreman and Gayanthi Arambepola shared perspectives on private sector policy work, focusing on research and policy analysis.

The remaining students attended a special session on Capitol Hill that was organized with the assistance of Penn State alumnus and former Hill staffer Anthony Mitchell and Penn State’s Office of Government and Community Relations. The panel, moderated by Malcolm Warbrick, Penn State director of federal relations, featured Penn State alumni who shared their experiences as current and former congressional staffers. Panelists Nick Borgaonkar, legislative assistant for U.S. Sen. John Fetterman; Brian Arata, legislative director for U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson; Taylor McCarty Hoover, vice president of public and government relations at Cogent Strategies; and Nick Rockwell, subcommittee staff director for U.S. Rep. and Chair of the House Committee on Financial Services French Hill, shared their experiences and provided students with valuable insights about pursuing careers in Washington.

The day continued in the Washington office of the firm BakerHostetler, which was hosted by Penn State alumnus and BakerHostetler partner Ed Beckwith. More than 20 Penn State alumni representing federal agencies, think tanks, consulting firms, and other policy-oriented organizations guided small-group discussions and one-on-one career exploration sessions with students that allowed for personalized interactions and meaningful conversations about career opportunities in the policy sphere.

"We received outstanding feedback from both students and alumni about the quality of these interactions," noted Lilliard Richardson, professor and director of the Penn State School of Public Policy.

Career Day has become a signature event that creates a strong connection between Penn State students and alumni working in the public sector. The trip is generously co-sponsored by the School of Public Policy and the Public Policy Association at Penn State.