Current position and employer: Scheduler, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Current city: Washington, DC

Why did you choose McCourt? Because I was pivoting careers (moving from teaching to politics), McCourt was the best choice for me because it gave me the quantitative skills I needed to be successful in the policy sector. My background is in history and English, so McCourt’s strong emphasis on data and economics was really important to me. I also really liked how involved all the students on the admitted students day panels were—joining clubs that would work hands-on with policy really appealed to me.

What was the best part of your experience? The best part of my experience has been the McCourt community. The people in my cohort are incredible! They are so intelligent, interested in changing the world, and have a wide array of interests. It’s been amazing to have in-depth conversations with people from all backgrounds and mindsets. It’s a tight-knit group that works together, and especially since those quantitative skills (while valuable!) are a bit intimidating to me, it’s been good to have a group that can help each other out instead of get overly competitive.

What internships did you have during your time at McCourt? During my time at McCourt, I had three internships: first, in Senator Dick Durbin's office, working on foreign policy and defense matters; second, at Leadership Now Project, working on events related to democracy and governance reform issues; and third, at the House Foreign Affairs Committee, focusing on Europe and Eurasia.

Student organization involvement while at McCourt: During my time at McCourt, I was involved in Women in Public Policy Initiative (WiPPI) as well as Georgetown Public Policy Review (GPPR).

Undergraduate Degree and University: Northwestern University, Secondary Education in History and English

Hobbies / Interests: I love to travel, and have been to 52 countries - most recently, to Portugal for my honeymoon! Outside of my Hill job, I teach hot yoga in my spare time. When I'm not working or teaching, you can find me hanging out with my husband and my two-year-old goldendoodle, Ivy! We love to try new breweries and restaurants around DC and explore all the nature across the city.