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W hat does your job entail?

At the moment, I'm teaching high school English at a charter school, so my job entails (in a very small nutshell) designing the curriculum for and teaching 9th, 10th, and 11th grade English.

Do you use what you learned in Government in your job now?

I definitely use the critical reading, writing, and analysis skills I learned in my Government classes at Skidmore!

What kind of influence did your Government major have on what you did after col-lege? What did you originally want to do after Skidmore?

I knew I wanted to work in some sort of non-profity job, but I wasn't sure exactly in what capacity. When Teach For America presented itself as an option, it piqued my interest and turned out to be a truly wonderful, life-changing experience.

How did you get to where you are now? Graduate work, etc. How did your Skidmore education help you succeed?

As part of my teacher certification through TFA, I got my Masters in Secondary Education from ASU. After the craziness of doing that while being a first and second year teacher, I felt like I really wasn't finished teaching after my two-year commitment with TFA. I've been teaching for the past five years, and after this year, I plan to make a career change. My first year's class of 8th graders will be graduating from high school this year, so it's sort of a great way to finish up-- with everything coming full circle.

What classes were most interesting to you when you were in college? Who was your favorite professor?

I feel like this is a loaded question, considering these responses are going to be posted in the hallway (right Barbara??)! In all honesty, though, I can say with 100% certainty that I got something different out of all of my Government classes, whether or not a class was my favorite. And I may be biased, but I think the Government department has the most quality professors at Skidmore.

My favorite part of my job is seeing the evolution in students over the course of the year. Seeing the pride they exude after achieving something they previously thought impossible (or undesired) is amazing. It's great to hear updates about how my former students are doing years after they've left my classroom reminds me that the daily grind is worth it!

If you could have any job, what would it be?

That is a great question! If I knew, I'd be going after it! :-)

I work on creative and artistic programming for the Jewish communities in St. Petersburg, Russia and Kyiv, Ukraine. I teach journalism classes, conduct dance workshops, lead conversational clubs in politics and cul-ture, and teach classes on traditional and alternative Judaism. I also worked for The St. Petersburg times and write freelance on the region for travel magazines and Jewish and secular publications.

Do you use what you learned in Government in your job now?

Constantly. Having taken classes in Russian history, ethnic conflicts and communism, I felt prepared for the incredibly complex cultural differ-ences between the former Soviet Union and the United States. I was also able to discuss the history of the countries, as well as the past and current

political situation, with locals. It was a great way to earn trust, respect and ingratiate myself within the communities.

What kind of influence did your Government major have on what you did after college? What did you originally want to do after Skidmore?

I wanted to pursue creative writing after Skidmore, which I did through my English major. The Government major was unexpected—after taking an introductory politi-cal class my freshmen year, I felt so fascinated I ended up majoring in Government. The Government major influenced me deeply—I ended up working on political journalism at an Israeli media organization in Washington D.C the summer after graduation.

How did you get to where you are now? Graduate work, etc. How did your Skidmore education help you succeed?

Double majoring in Government and English led to a natural combination of the two—pursuit in journalism. I wrote for The Daily Saratogian one summer, then for Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz during a semester in Tel Aviv, for an Israeli media organi-zation in Washington D.C. and then for The St. Petersburg Times in Russia. All of these jobs had roots in Skidmore Government classes—in classes on Middle Eastern politics, communist history, current Israeli politics, Russian history and American political history.

What classes were most interesting to you when you were in college? Who was your favorite profes-sor?

All Government classes with an international bent fascinated me—classes on the Middle East, Latin America, Eastern Europe. In addition, I was interested in classes that focused on particular minority communities within these regions. As for profes-sors, I genuinely enjoyed all Government professors I took classes with. A very passionate and dynamic group!

What is your favorite part of your job?

My favorite part is teaching journalism classes—especially poignant in a region that for so long, lacked any free press. Teaching belly dancing in Kyiv has been one of the stranger and funnier things I’ve done. In general, I love living abroad. The expe-rience in the former Soviet Union has been everything living abroad should be— humbling, inspiring, and hugely expanding.

If you could have any job, what would it be?

I still love to write creatively and am currently working on a screenplay. Journalism however, has been an interest since my second year at Skidmore, and working on articles abroad has been fantastic. Ideally, I would love to continue working as a freelance journalist while also pursuing creative fictional projects.

I am a project coordinator for a large financial services firm in New York, which is a subdivision of their human resources department. I am specifically aligned to sup-port the development and implementation of training for our securities (equities, fixed income, currency, and commodities) division, which primarily focuses on financial products & capital markets, leadership & professional skills, culture & orientation, and new & experienced hire integration.

Although much of content I learned in my courses does not overlap with the knowledge I have so far acquired while working in the financial services industry, Government did arm me with the tools to understand where and how policy and legislation impact my business. The American government has been playing an increasingly active role in the finance space since the global economic crisis of 2008 and I feel as though my background has enabled me to see and interpret both sides of the coin.

A LUMNI P ROFILES : A N INSIGHT INTO G OVERNMENT M AJOR ’ S L IVES A FTER GRADUATION