How did you find your way to where you are today? Share a little about your professional journey.

I currently find myself in the United Kingdom as a graduate student at The London School of Economics. In truth, the reason I’ve found my way here can be attributed to the community of friends and mentors who have guided me since the time I arrived at Furman. I grew up in the Washington, D.C. area and caught the international politics and diplomacy bug early on; after all, in D.C., local news is world news. However, my experiences as a student at Furman, ranging from coursework in the Political Science and Economics departments to internships in Washington and Brussels, as well as forming relationships with a host of professors, helped me channel my interests into a more mature understanding of my subject matter and a better
understanding of what kind of work I wanted to do and who I wanted to become. I find life’s
most interesting challenges to be at the intersections—of economics and politics, theology and political thought, or domestic and international politics, to name a few—and over the last four or so years, a liberal education and professors who have been eager to engage with me on material I was passionate about culminated in my studying International Relations in London.

When providing advice for professional development, what are some tools or resources one should consider?

When it comes to advice for professional development, my offerings are rather limited as I'm still a student. However, there are two things I would recommend. The first is to figure out what you believe about the world and the kind of person you want to be; taking advantage of leisure time both during and after college to participate in a book club or engage in conversations with friends about life's big questions will help you determine not just what you want to be but also, and more importantly, why. The second thing I'd recommend is to focus on building relationships. The ability to hold a conversation, connect on a level deeper than small talk, and see other professionals (or older classmates) not just as networking opportunities, but as people with whom a lasting and mutual relationship can be formed is a valuable skill.

What do you wish you would have known getting started in your field?

I wish I had known two separate, but related things when I was first figuring out what I wanted to study as well as what I wanted to do after college. The first is not to be shy in reaching out, both to older students and to Furman alums, in fields of interest. What I've discovered is that some of my best friendships have come from interacting with now-alumni who were still students when I was a freshman or a sophomore. Those peers who are just a few years further down the road than me have offered invaluable advice about their own experiences in Washington. The second thing I wish I had known when getting started with thinking about a career was that building relationships is not the same as "networking." Networking always seemed like a foreign and off-putting activity to me, but thinking about networking in terms of simply getting to know other alums and learning about how they got to where they are has proven both helpful and enjoyable.

How could Furman help with getting someone started?

Furman could do a better job of connecting students with alumni for the purposes of establishing relationships—that is, giving students access to those who can impart wisdom about what paths students might consider taking, what alumni have done to get to their current places in life, and what skills students might need to acquire. It seems like this is exactly what The Loop is attempting to do.

How has your liberal arts background shaped your career path or supported your success?

As much of a cliché as it may be, my liberal arts background has shaped my interests and supported my success through its insistence on critical thinking, cogent writing, and the fair evaluation of all ideas in pursuit of truth. Politics is a particularly messy business; one must be able to wade through a copious amount of conflicting ideas and ideologies to make progress. By allowing me access to environments different from the ones I was used to (particularly through studying abroad, which took me across the globe), providing a diversity of perspectives in Political Thought courses, and encouraging me to pursue things that I believe are of lasting significance, Furman has given me the confidence that all I have learned thus far has prepared me for success in the world of politics.

What extracurricular activities helped you develop professionally?

My time spent with Furman's mock trial team contributed enormously to my professional development. By frequently presenting arguments before a jury and working through case strategy with teammates, I learned to communicate concisely, confidently, and persuasively, as well as how to pick out the most important information from hundreds of pages of case documents. These are skills that have already been useful in graduate school, where class presentations and dictionary-length reading lists are the norm. I expect those skills to translate to the professional world, too.

Were there particular courses within the economics department that were especially useful in helping you identify your career or that ended up helping you to be successful in your career?

Far and away, my senior seminar was the course that helped most significantly in my identifying international politics (particularly in the realm of economic diplomacy) as an area of interest. Covering just four books over the course of the semester, I gained a nuanced understanding of issues concerning trade and international governance, and it became clear to me just how much I enjoyed these subjects. Furthermore, regular group presentations and a twice-weekly journal on course readings prepared me to present my thoughts in an organized and linear fashion

Were there particular projects or activities from any of your economics courses that were especially useful?

The project I undertook in my econometrics course—a research project on the role of campaign finance in elections of state supreme court justices—was particularly useful for two reasons beyond the practical application of what we were reading in our textbook. First, being tasked with tracking down and cleaning data, meeting regular deadlines, and creating a presentation poster required a new level of responsibility; in other words, the project was a first step in taking complete ownership of my work. Second, the project forced us to take relatively complex material and present it in a way that an individual without an economics background could understand. Being forced to explain concepts like heteroscedasticity in simple terms made for an outstanding lesson in the value of effective communication—that in the real world, a big vocabulary isn't helpful if you can't get others to understand what you're trying to say.

Were there particular "engaged learning" experiences that were especially useful?

Three "engaged learning" experiences were especially useful in my time in the Economics department. The first, as a student delegate to APEC, has already been detailed. The second was a summer spent at the Office of a U.S. Trade Representative, where I got to see the workings of economic diplomacy up close while sitting in on meetings between U.S. and E.U. negotiators. It was after this summer that my interests began moving away from law school and toward the field of international relations. A final experience that was especially helpful was a fall semester working in the Economics and Fiscal Policy Unit of a Brussels-based NGO responsible for representing all of the E.U.'s small businesses to the European Parliament. Once again, I had the gratifying experience of seeing the skills learned in my Economics courses put to practical use. Having this opportunity in Europe only deepened my interests in international diplomacy and political life.

Any other "highlights" from your experience in economics?

There are no other single experiences that I would define as "highlights" from my time with the Furman Economics Department. However, I would be remiss not to mention all the days that I met with my professors to talk about homework, test prep, graduate school applications, or life in general. My entire experience with Economics was enriched by a network of teachers and mentors who generously gave their time to make sure that I understood the subject matter and that they knew me as more than just a student.