“Between my robust liberal arts education and my time on the debate team, the reading, writing, and public speaking skills I learned have changed my life.”
Majors: English and Philosophy
Lives in: Somerville, MA
What work looks like: “I help carry out the day-to-day governance of this dense, 80,000-person city that I love and call home. That involves helping to set up the structures of coordination, collaboration, and communication that allow our teams to carry out their important work, from cleaning streets to helping connect people with housing.”
What she loves about it: “I love working with the brilliant, civic-minded employees of Somerville and helping carry out a vision I believe in. ”
What she gained from a liberal arts education: “Being an English major helped me analyze complex ideas and express myself clearly, both skills that have been critical in learning to clearly communicate, which is so much of what governance is all about. Being a philosophy major, as well as a proud member of the Lawrence Debate Union, taught me how to think clearly and extract the essential points of an argument. The big questions we grappled with in the UVM philosophy department around truth, morality, and what makes a good society, continue to shape the way I live and work. Between my robust liberal arts education and my time on the debate team, the reading, writing, and public speaking skills I learned have changed my life. That was truly the time when I first learned, in the words of now-deceased, legendary UVM debate coach Dr. Alfred “Tuna” Snider, how to “think for yourself!” That independence of thought and the ability to back it up with concrete communications skills have meant everything for my career.”