Members of the the PAF Class of 2015 are now employed in a variety of sectors and locations -- from Columbia Heights, D.C. to Columbia, South Carolina. We reached out to a few members of the Class of 2015 to learn more about their post-grad employment experiences.
Adam Bethke, CCAS BA ’13 MPA ‘15 is a Data and Policy Analyst for the DC Public Charter School Board. Adam, when asked about his current work, said, “I work in datasets almost all of the day, which is incredible. I've really enjoyed building analyses from the ground up, and getting to visit a number of DC's public charter schools.” As a PAF Adam earned his Master’s in Public Administration, and has been readily applying his classroom knowledge in the workforce. “Right now,” Adam continued, “I'm working on analyzing all of the preliminary ‘Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers’ data, which has been a fascinating opportunity.”.
Lauren Shenfeld, CCAS BA ’13 MA ‘15 earned her Master’s in Museum studies, and now works as the Director of Museum Experiences at EdVenture Children’s Museum in South Carolina. The position keeps her busy, and Lauren has been working with the CEO and Executive VP of the Museum to open satellite locations throughout South Carolina. Recently, Lauren supported the museum in what she described as, “organizing a day of learning and exploration for nearly 1,000 Head Start children, in celebration of Head Start's 50th anniversary.”
While the PAF Class of 2015 is spread throughout the country, their ties to GW and D.C. remain strong. Meredith Waters, SPH BS ’13 MHSA ‘15 earned her Master of Health Services Administration and now works for Babyscripts as an Implementation Analyst where she helped recruit one hundred patients for a clinical trial with GW MFA of Babyscripts products. Notably, Meredith learned about this job opportunity through the GW/PAF network. “Robert sent out an email about the GW Startup Career Fair and I attended and found Babyscripts,” Meredith said.
Shirley Hsieh, CCAS BS ’13, ESIA BA ’13 MA ’15 is settling into life in New York City, where she is a Corporate and Investment Banking Public Sector Analyst with Citi. Meanwhile, Austin Frizzell, CCAS BA ’13, SPH MPH ’15 remains in DC, where he is a Chapter Assistant at Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO).
Of course, we couldn’t resist asking which competencies have been most applicable in their first few months on the job. Chris Kim, CCAS BS ’13 MPP ‘15 earned his Master of Public Policy and now works as a Consultant for Deloitte Consulting. In his first months on the job he has enjoyed many opportunities for professional development and a variety of challenging and stimulating experience. Chris expressed that “self-awareness” and “dealing with ambiguity” were among the core competencies he has practiced during his first months on the job.
Adam echoes his need to use the competency “dealing with ambiguity” also noting his new position has challenged him to engage with “problem solving” and “learning on the fly.” Additionally, Adam has been pleasantly surprised by the GW connections he has found upon entering the “real world.” “I was recently introduced to a fellow University Honors Program alum who works at the Office of the State Superintendent of Education as a data analyst,” Adam said, “Small world!”
A small world indeed! We hope you’ll stay connected to us as you continue on to your many great accomplishments. Congratulations to the Class of 2015!
