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| Peter Kaldes, Esq. (IR '98) talks with Odmaa Otgonbileg (IR '06)
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Get involved as an alumnus!
International Relations Resources
IR Alumni-Related Events:
Job Search Support Group for
Alumni
When: Mondays: March 9 - May
4, 7:00PM-8:00PM
Where: Dowling Hall, Room
740, 419 Boston Avenue, Medford
Description: Looking for a
job may be the most challenging job you've ever had... but you don't need to do
it alone. Come to this drop-in job search support group, led by Tufts Alumni
Career Counseling staff, and get new ideas for your search. No charge, and no
need to pre-register, just come to Dowling Hall a few minutes early. Please
check out our web page to see a list of upcoming events, including
webinars.
Contact: Alumni Career
Services
Tufts University
Dowling Hall, Suite 740
419 Boston Avenue
Medford, MA 02155
ph: 617-627-3299 fax: 617-627-3907
http://careers.tufts.edu
Join the Tufts Career Network today!
http://careers.tufts.edu/network
Virtual Networking Forum
By Katie Santoro, LA '09 and Moira Todd, IR Program Administrator
In November [2008], the Tufts
Program in International Relations and Tufts Career Services hosted an
innovative and exciting career development event: International Affairs Virtual
Networking: A Global Online Forum. With nearly 200 registered alumni and student
participants and an array of informative forum posts, the pilot program was a
clear success.
The online networking forum was
designed to foster greater student-alumni interaction by utilizing existing
technology to connect IR majors in Medford with alumni working in the broad
field of international affairs around the world. The forum provided IR students
with first-hand advice from IR professionals by tapping into the broad
experience of Tufts alumni.
Please see our
Fall 2008 news & views edition for the full article.
Tufts Alumni Offer Interactive Guide to Careers in International Affairs
By Kirk Lange, IR Asst Director
Every year, long before the snow has
melted and flowers come into bloom, another marker of spring is apparent on the
Medford campus: seniors swinging into high gear to figure out their post-Tufts
lives. The search for that first post-collegiate job, perfect graduate school
program, or other career building experience usually has students visiting
prospective employers, scanning online job websites, conducting informational
interviews, or poring over Careers in International Affairs and other key texts
in the career development canon.
And every year, too, Tufts Career
Services and the IR Program bring a small sampling of impressive Tufts alumni
back to Medford–to share invaluable insights about key employers in the
field, job seeking strategies, and the building blocks of the successful careers
they have built in the field of IR. In essence, IR majors are given access to an
interactive guide to careers in world affairs. Live. In person. In their
backyard.
This year the "Careers in
International Affairs" panel was held on the evening of March 5th in Dowling
Hall and included five former Jumbos drawn from a range of IR fields: Daniela
Burgi-Palomino ('07), Program Associate for the international humanitarian and
development nonprofit Oxfam America; Jeremy Fischer ('00), formerly Academic
Affairs Officer for the Consulate General of Israel to New England and currently
a student at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government; Jerome Lebleu ('99), a
former consultant for the International Organization for Migration, who has just
graduated from the Fletcher School; Richard Marshall ('98), Foreign Affairs
Officer for the National Security Agency; and Lynne Salinger ('77), Senior
Economist at Associates for International Resources and Development, a Cambridge
based think tank.
Please see our
Winter 2008 news & views edition for the full article.
A Major Network: IR Alumni Return to Tufts for Career
Development Night
By Kirk Lange, IR Assistant Director
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| Tufts students network with alums during IR Career Development
Night 3/6/06
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IR majors are famously broad-minded–their scope of interest extending to every
global region and countless international issues. Yet at this time of year, many IR
majors, particularly seniors, fix their attention on a single, thorny issue: What
after Medford?
To help students answer this question, the IR Program is ramping up its career
development activities in a growing partnership with the Tufts Office of Career
Services (CS) and IR alumni. The kick-off event in this effort was the inaugural IR
Career Panel and Alumni Networking Night, held March 6th in Dowling Hall.
It was a promising start on multiple counts.
Please see our Spring 2006 news
& views edition for the full article.
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IR Alumni Experiences
To share your post-graduate experience with current undergraduates, please visit the
IR Newsletter website.
Networking to Nicaragua
By Leah Gordon, LA '08
Leah Gordon is currently Project Coordinator of University of North Carolina community
health projects in Leon, Nicaragua.
As I started my final semester at Tufts, I figured I had two job options after
graduation. I could search through idealist.org to find an entry-level position
at an NGO in Washington DC or I could do something I had always wanted to do and
look for a job in Central America. Life in DC seemed like a puzzle that had already
been put together for me, all I had to do was fill in that final piece—gainful employment.
I knew a lot of people moving to DC, my brother already lived there, and I could
move in with my best friend. By comparison, moving to a developing country seemed
like an insurmountable task. How would I make friends? Was my Spanish good enough?
How do you find a place to live without the help of craigslist? How do you
even find a job abroad? No, I decided finally, this is not for me.
It's too hard, it's too scary, it'll be too lonely and not at all worth it.
See the full article in our News and Views
Winter 2009 Volume VIII Issue 3 for the full article.
My Experience with Election 2008
By Halley Lisuk, LA '08
My current answer to the question, "What do you do?" is "Looking for a job."
I often follow this with, "But I just finished working on a successful campaign
in Michigan," mainly because it leads to better conversation than "Oh, with this
economy that's tough" or "Yeah, you and everyone else who just graduated."
I also mention it because I'm proud of winning a campaign in a district, which,
for the first time ever, is represented by someone from my political party, and
being part of the team who elected this young state representative, someone I fully
believed in.
After returning home for the summer after my sophomore year at Tufts I worked
in a coffee shop. Although, I'm from a small town where not much happens, it's incredible
who you meet in a coffee shop. I've run into ex-CIA employees, Foreign Service
officers, Mario Batali, Tim Allen... and Dan Scripps—my future employer and state representative.
See the full article in our News and Views
Winter 2009 Volume VIII Issue 3 for the full article.
Life After Tufts: Alumni Share Their Thoughts on Working
at the "Council on Foreign Relations"
Interviewees: Sebastian Chaskel (LA'07); Rachel Leven (LA'07); Negar Razavi (LA'06);
Erika Wool (LA'06) - interviewed by Samantha Goldman (LA '08)
Samantha: How did you end up working at the Council on Foreign Relations?
Negar: When I first graduated from Tufts, I wanted to leave the United
States for a little while and spend time abroad—specifically in the Middle East.
After a few months, though,
I realized I would need more work experience if I wanted to be taken seriously
in the region. That is when I started searching for work in the U.S., and came across
a job posting on the CFR website for the "Women, Development, and Middle East" Research
Associate. Interestingly, it was my experience abroad that helped me get the job
at CFR.
Sebastian: I started looking for jobs early on in January and by March
had not found anything that fit my interests. Then in March I saw a posting for
the Latin America Studies Research Associate position. I was very interested in
the Council to begin with, and the position seemed right up my alley. I sent my
information in to the Human Resources department and I also e-mailed Shannon O'Neil,
the Latin America Studies Fellow directly. We met and had a great conversation,
and I was eventually offered the job.
Rachel: Like Sebastian I was interested in CFR from the beginning. In
my search I was aiming for jobs with publishing houses and news organizations. When
the job for Publishing Associate with "Foreign Affairs" came up on the CFR website
it seemed to fi t in with all of my requirements. After I turned in my application
I coincidentally met a CFR affiliate. I asked him if he would be willing to write
a recommendation after seeing my resume. I don't how or if this helped me get the
job but it certainly did not hurt my chances.
Erika: I was interested in working at CFR, so I checked the website for
job listings and applied directly to HR.
Please see our News and Views
Winter 2008 Volume VII Issue 3 for the full interview.
Reflections from an IR Alum
By: Karina Weinstein, LA '02
I first became introduced to Tufts University through my high school, which participated
in the Institute for Global Leadership's Inquiry program. For two years in a row,
Inquiry brought me to the Tufts campus to discuss world affairs with other high
school students. Inspired by the articulate EPIIC students who facilitated our discussions—and
aware of the University's strong International Relations Program—I knew Tufts was
the right place for me.
Please see our News and Views
Spring 2007 Volume VI Issue 4 for the full interview.
Personal Insights from Recent Alum
By: Jeremy Sueker, LA '06
I did not expect to use my IR degree this year. Moreover, I could not have even
articulated what "using my IR degree" meant this time last year as I spent my senior
fall postponing the grand job search.
I work at the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System (GEIS)
at the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). I am undertaking a year-long study of the
contributions that the DoD's five overseas public health laboratories have made
in the last half century to the public health and national security aims of their
various benefactors, both domestic and foreign. This work will presumably culminate
in a series of papers and presentations to DoD officials at the conclusion of the
year. My title, so printed on my business cards, reads: "Researcher—Overseas Laboratory
Network Study". I made it up, deeming it inappropriate to call myself a 'research
fellow' without an advanced degree, but lacking anyone to assist, found 'research
assistant' inaccurate.
Please see our News and Views
Fall 2006 Volume VI Issue 2 for the full interview.
From Tufts to ABC: IR Alum Shares His Post-Graduate Story
By Kirit Radia, IR Alum, LA '05
Kirit Radia, currently ABC News' off camera reporter/producer at the State Department,
shares his experiences since graduating from Tufts last year.
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Photo of Terry Moran doing a live shot outside of
the Supreme Court
Photo courtesy of Kirt Radia
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Just 14 months ago I was living the Senior Year nightmare–scrambling around
the country in search of a job, hopping from one uninspiring interview to another. As an International
Relations student at Tufts, I had always imagined that I would end up in a career
in the Foreign Service or in a Washington think tank or perhaps even working abroad
for an NGO. I had never thought much beyond those obvious applications of my IR
education, even though I was constantly reminded how universally applicable my studies
really were.
Finally, upon realizing that perhaps my true aspirations lay beyond those I had
originally envisioned for myself, I began to consider other avenues. A professor
suggested an internship with ABC News in Washington, DC. The thought of working
in a national newsroom was foreign to me, having had no previous media experience.
I applied thinking that my chances of being accepted were, at best, slim...
Please see our News and Views
Spring 2006 Volume V Issue 4 for the full interview.
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IR Alumni Contacts
Tufts University Alumni Association
Looking for alumni in Atlanta? New friends in Florida? Connections in
California? From Houston to Hong Kong, Baltimore to Brazil, Tufts alumni are coming
together and staying involved in the life of the University through their local
TUAA chapters. From socials and faculty speakers to community service projects and
cultural outings, regional chapters provide many opportunities to reconnect with
Tufts and meet other alumni.
Connect with a chapter near you! Visit the Tufts University Alumni Association
Chapter Directory
to find out how to get in touch with alumni where you are.
Connecting Alumni and Student Experiences (CASE) Network
A Summer Mentoring Program for Tufts Students and Alumni
The CASE Network connects students with alumni mentors to support a student's
summer learning experience and to offer alumni the opportunity to contribute back
to Tufts, their community, and motivated students.
CASE Cities:
- Boston
- New York
- Washington, DC
- Chicago
- San Francisco
The CASE Network:
- Provides students who have substantive summer jobs or internships in select
cities with an alumni mentor
- Allows students and mentors to connect regularly through student reflection
and mentor feedback
- Encourages informal networking between students and alumni through a variety
of planned summer programs including social, service, and career exploration
events
If you have general questions, please contact: Rachel Szyman, Program Coordinator,
Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at 617.627.4845 or
Rachel.Szyman@tufts.edu.
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IR Alumni Career Resources:
Don't forget to visit the IR program's
Career Development page for more
information and resources.
In the Public Interest: A new program helps grads working
in nonprofits pay student loans
By Marjorie Howard
Sophomore Madeleine Buras says the idea of returning to her native New Orleans
after graduation to help people affected by Hurricane Katrina is appealing. But
she'll have student loans to pay off and, until recently, didn't think she could
consider a public service job because the salary would be too low.
The new loan assistance program is "great for people who want to work in the
nonprofit sector but are concerned about having to pay off their loans," says
sophomore Madeleine Buras.
Now, thanks to a program believed to be the first of its kind in the country,
Buras, a political science major, may be able to pursue her dream. Tufts University
has created a new initiative that will help all undergraduates, graduate students
and those with professional degrees to pay off their loans if they work in public
service or at a nonprofit organization after graduation.
The Tufts Loan
Repayment Assistance Program, known as LRAP, is aimed at encouraging Tufts alumni
to pursue careers that may not necessarily be lucrative but will serve the public
good. Graduates in fields such as teaching, health care in regions lacking medical
resources and social work would be eligible...
See the full article in the
Tufts Journal April 2008 issue.
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