On Wednesday, February 19th Discourse in Democracy hosted the Political Science department’s annual Alumni Night event. Four alumni shared their post-graduate experiences in a panel, hoping to spread some of their knowledge of the career world to current students. The topics covered included the details of federal employment, interview etiquette, and strategy for turning internships into jobs. This year’s alumni panel consisted of Nicholas Funari (MPA), Clint Johnson (MA), Kate Moriarty (BA), and Sabrina Rodriguez (MA Legal Studies). Funari and Johnson both work in federal government, the former as an acquisition/bidding executive and the latter as a Special Investigator for DHS. Kate Moriarty works for Senator John Cornyn in his Austin, Texas office, while Rodriguez works at Texas State University as a Title IX investigator.
After the panel, students, faculty, and alumni enjoyed pizza and snacks along with some informal conversation at the department’s reception. Additionally, undergraduates were able to meet current grad students and ask questions about the department’s three graduate programs. Graduate student Victor Jubril said that he learned “a lot of lessons” at the event, such as how “connection is key to finding that dream job in the real world,” and the importance of “internships…and keeping an updated LinkedIn profile.” Most importantly, he noted that the wide range of experience on the panel encouraged him to “never feel ‘not good enough’ to fill a position, because [you] just might be the perfect fit.” Graduate student Maribel Rodriguez said she felt the event was “really helpful” and appreciated the comment that “one should apply even when the job posting seems unattainable.”
