The Write Way to Finding a Career

“Arrived on Hamilton’s campus thinking I’d study World Politics and Chinese, and would likely end up at a think tank or at a consulting firm.”

Started work as a tutor at Hamilton’s Writing Center. “Working with students from different academic disciplines helped me realize I enjoy writing most when it’s a collaborative process — especially when students need help discovering their voice or pinpointing the story/argument they want to tell. I remember wondering how that passion for collaborative writing might manifest in a future career.”

Attended Hamilton’s inaugural Common Ground event featuring political strategists Karl Rove and David Axelrod. “I found myself especially interested in Axelrod’s insights so I bought his memoir Believer: My Forty Years in Politics and finished it in four days. I felt so optimistic and hopeful about the future of Democratic politics that, at the urging of Professor Kira Jumet, I decided to apply to study in D.C.”

“Thanks to a connection from a Hamilton alum on the Hill, I landed an internship in the press office of Senator Dianne Feinstein from my home state of California. Beyond having a blast networking with Hamiltonians and other staffers on the Hill, I discovered my interest in political communication — especially writing projects like constituent correspondence and press releases.”

“In addition to writing stories that highlighted those positively affected by the foundation’s work, I prepared briefing materials for the president’s public appearances, compiled daily press clips, and crafted readouts of major events for senior staff. Went to a talk by former Obama speechwriter Ben Rhodes, and over Korean BBQ with my co-mentee and mentor from the multicultural peer mentoring project (Joowon Min ’20 and Vincent Tran ’18) later that month, I finally realized I wanted to be a speechwriter.”

“By interacting with dozens of minority groups in Yunnan province, I gained a greater appreciation for telling and understanding the stories of those who come from underrepresented backgrounds — and linked it to my own story as a minority student at a predominantly white institution.”

“Thanks to a conversation with Chanel Summerset ’18, I applied for a summer internship at West Wing Writers, a strategic communications and speechwriting firm founded by former speechwriters for President Clinton. (Chanel is a WWW office manager and intern coordinator.) I was placed in the firm’s San Francisco office, where I drafted remarks and other strategic communications materials for Fortune 50 companies, professional athletes, Hollywood actors, and Silicon Valley start-ups. This ultimately translated into a full-time offer at the firm’s Washington, D.C., office, where I’m looking forward to working as an associate in July!”