As the end of the first semester came to a close, I was awash in new knowledge of development frameworks, data analysis, comparative international education literature, and applied action to tackle many of today’s greatest international education problems. However, one of the recurring thoughts in my mind as I worked through these complex issues is that education and its constant bettering doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Rather, it is pervasive in all areas of society and across sectors. With this strengthened foundational understanding, the intensive January term was the perfect time to dive deep outside of the world of GSE.
It feels strange that my first blog post on the Admissions page about the merits of HGSE is in fact talking about a course outside of HGSE! And yet, I think this is precisely why I wanted to reach out into the internet and talk about the merits of the program in that students are able to get the rigor of the programmatic curriculum during the year as well as dip into other subjects across schools quite easily if they so choose. This past month, I did just that, and I am so grateful for the opportunity.
Having spent much of my professional career working overseas in the scholarships and college access space, I was unfamiliar with the mechanics of advocacy in the US context and was eager to understand how communications and lobbying intersected in American governance. While the course was not specifically on education lobbying – of which there is a great amount of work being done at the moment, especially in the higher education space – we were able to apply what we were learning throughout the week.
Given the full day commitment of the course, the professors were able to be creative in how we spent our days learning. The first day I arrived at Rubenstein at the Harvard Kennedy School for my “Lobbying” class with Professor Mark Fagan, we took a poll to see perceptions – good and bad – of the concept of lobbying in democratic society. From there, the professor made it his goal to make sure that students got a 360 view of the profession from speakers, lectures, external visits, and readings to develop our own strong intuition on this field. The class was divided into teams and then paired with a Boston based organization that is wanting to work on a specific piece of legislation that applied to their mission. The teams then came up with campaign strategy and did a lobbying simulation during one class with former Senators and legislators connected with HKS. This real life simulation experience was a fantastic learning opportunity, as was being around a class of welcoming and respectful students who showed me the “governance ropes” as I worked out this new system during the course. For the final paper, I examined closely the work of communications and government relations officers at universities in the United States who are currently involved in conversations around anti-endowment taxes and student visas.
I am glad that my home base here at HGSE is strong, dynamic, and robust, but so are the other schools on campus. The first four months being here flew by, so I was so grateful to have a chance to explore a new part of the university community and learn a great deal in the process. Already, I am seeing the application of these learnings in my semester long courses. I was inspired to cross-register for another HKS course this spring semester and have a greater understanding of the legislative process in advocacy work when this conversation comes up in classes back at GSE.
January term is a fantastic academic opportunity and one that is a definite highlight of the HGSE academic experience. Not only do you get to zoom in fully on a specific subject, but the Office of Student Affairs and Careers Services Office also hold useful workshops to set you on track for a strong semester ahead and for future career mapping. It was also a wonderful time to enjoy Boston for all it has to offer during a more relaxed few academic weeks and connect socially with my HGSE peers. It was just another example of the fantastic holistic education and personal/professional development opportunity that this master’s degree provides for all of its students, and for that, I am beyond grateful
Blog post written by Charlotte Evans. Photo provided by Charlotte Evans.
I spent the past five years living in Asia – two years in Shanghai and three years in Singapore. I’d love to share a bit more in the blog about the transition back to the United States, reckoning with being a US citizen back in America during the current political scene and suddenly being back on home turf and what that feels like while starting a new program. I think we have a lot of profiles like this in IEP so I’d be happy to share my experiences while also trying to determine what I want to do after and where I want to be after (so many options and lots of support from different offices at GSE). I love running and going to see musicals outside of school and am geeking out over my policy classes right now.
HGSE Admissions Blog 