After Kenyon

I will be working as a research assistant at the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization. Specifically, I will be housed in the Center on Children and Families, working on simulation models for predicting how government policies impact American middle-class families.

The faculty connection

Going into my senior year, I was interested in applying for research assistantships at public policy think tanks. My economics advisor, Professor Kathy Krynksi, helped me identify institutions (like the Brookings) that would be a good fit for my skills and interests.

How a Kenyon education helped

At Kenyon, I was able to develop the skills necessary to pursue my interests in policy research. In my economics honors seminars with Kathy Krynski and Jay Corrigan, I learned how economic and social theory could be applied to understand and address real-world problems. Rigorous math classes with Brian Jones, Judy Holdener, andBrad Hartlaub complemented my education in the social sciences by developing my quantitative skills and teaching me how to persevere through 60-hour take home exams. Moreover, Kenyon allowed me to explore my interests in policy and research outside of the classroom. As a participant in the Kenyon Summer Legal Scholars Program, I had the opportunity to work with political science Professor Joseph Klesner on an independent research project of my own design. Ultimately, I believe that it was this kind of personal mentorship that led me to land a job at Brookings.

Why Kenyon

As a high school student, I had always loved my English lit classes and so initially applied to Kenyon because of its renowned literature department. When visiting classrooms during Second Look in April, I was thoroughly impressed by the professor-student interactions and small class size. After that day, I was sold on Kenyon.