Careers in Public Service

The Weissman Center, together with our campus partners, sponsors a trip each year for up to twenty-four students who are interested in careers in public service. The site visit features MHC alumnae who are inspiring examples of success to our students in the fields of politics, policy, advocacy, and government, and whose work spans local initiatives to global world affairs.

‘Careers in Public Service’ is modeled after the MHC student delegation to the launch of the Women in Public Service Project in 2011, an initiative spearheaded by former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the sister schools to encourage more women to enter careers in public service. Since then, we have learned that site visits for students are life changing. Students return with enthusiasm and a focused zeal to work in politics, policy, advocacy, and government. They gain valuable insights, tips, and knowledge about what a path in public service might look like, and how to go about crafting a future. Site visits deliberately emphasize a wide range of careers and open students’ horizons to fields and new possibilities. Discussions with alumnae complement the classroom experience and put a practical lens on the future. In fact, a student who returned recently from a site visit remarked, “It is one thing to discuss issues in class from a theoretical perspective, but actually meeting with and learning from accomplished alumnae in a professional setting was unlike anything I have ever experienced before.”