What public service can be

From March 12 to 13, more than 40 Mount Holyoke College students, along with staff from the Weissman Center for Leadership, embarked on a visit to Washington, D.C., for a trip centered on Careers in Public Service.

I was fortunate enough to be one of the students attending this trip. I am a psychology major and sociology minor and a proud member of the class of 2027. The trip was one that I had been greatly looking forward to, as I knew that it had the potential to open up my world and introduce me to the field of public service.

I wanted to attend this trip because, as someone who is interested in the fields of mental health, community advocacy and human services, I was curious about how I could connect my interests to public service. I had visited Washington, D.C., in early 2020, but I wanted to see how the city had evolved since then. On the bus ride home from D.C., I began to reflect on my visit and its impact on me as a student and as an aspiring professional.

On the afternoon of March 12, Weissman staff and students arrived in D.C. and had a dinner where students were able to get to know each other and talk more about the trip. At my table, my fellow students and I spoke about summer internships, thesis presentations and what we were looking forward to on the trip. It was a great opportunity to de-stress and prepare for the evening ahead.

After dinner, we left the hotel for a reception hosted by the Mount Holyoke Club of DC. At the beginning of the event, we listened to a speech by Trisha Tanner, executive director of the Alum Association of Mount Holyoke College. We also got to listen to a conversation with President Danielle R. Holley and Jaime Grillo, associate vice president of career readiness. In this talk, President Holley and Grillo mentioned the new career communities project. This project brings together Mount Holyoke students, alum mentors, career specialists and employers, creating a supportive network where students can learn more about their fields and prospective industries. I found this part of the talk very informative, and I thought about which career communities I would be a part of.

After the remarks, we had a chance to network with Mount Holyoke alums and fellow students. I sat at the Education and Social Impact Table and got to meet with alums involved with nonprofit organizations, community advocacy groups and government agencies. I even got to meet an alum who used to work for the parks department. These conversations were enlightening and left me feeling better prepared about what to expect in the workforce. One of my favorite things we discussed was how to cope during tough times, especially in public service careers.

The next day, we woke up bright and early for a visit to Representative Richard Neal’s office. We got to speak with the representative’s staff and learn more about what it’s like to be a congressional staff member. We were also able to ask them questions about what their job entails and what their journey to working in government was like. After the visit, we went to the United States Capitol, where we had the privilege of visiting both the House Chamber and the Senate Chamber. This was such a cool experience — seeing such an important place in our country’s government in person was incredible! Prior to this experience, I didn't even know that this was something that visitors to D.C. could do. The congressional visit was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip, as it allowed me to get a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes of our nation’s government.

In the afternoon, we left the Capitol Building and headed to lunch, where we heard a speech from the keynote speaker, Brandon Wolf. Wolf is the national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign and an activist for gun reform and LGBTQ rights. He is also a survivor of the Pulse nightclub attack in Orlando, Florida. During the speech, Wolf spoke about his unconventional path to leadership, activism and public service. He also spoke about how, during difficult times, it is important to find community. The speech was excellent and another highlight from my trip. It served as an important reminder that everybody’s path to leadership is not the same and that, by finding joy in community, we will make it through.

We ended our trip with one last activity: a visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. I had been looking forward to this aspect of the trip, as I had wanted to go to this museum for years. During the visit, my peers and I were able to view and learn from different exhibitions. My favorite exhibit was titled “More Than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids.” This exhibit had an absolutely gorgeous collection of orchids and explained the different connections between these flowers and the African American community. Another exhibit that I really enjoyed was “A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond.” This exhibit focused on the issues faced by African Americans in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Something I enjoyed about this exhibit was that, while it talked about different struggles within the African American community, it also talked about successes and progress made. I felt that was a really important and beautiful thing to highlight.

My time during the Careers in Public Service trip was very enlightening and opened my eyes to what public service can be. I feel like a lot of people see public service as just politics and government, when, in reality, it can be so many things. From education to nonprofit work to science and health, the possibilities of public service careers are endless.