Two LSJ alums in different phases of their post-graduate lives are pursuing careers in the federal government. Whether that be in the form of an internship, a temporary job, or a career, these former students are grateful to the UW and the LSJ program.
After seven long months of waiting, LSJ alumna McKenzie Schnell, class of 2014, woke up one morning to very good news: she was chosen for an internship at the White House.
This was last August. She finished the four-month internship with the President’s Commission on White House Scholarship in December. She says one of the most memorable experiences was hearing Michelle Obama speak and having access to the East Wing.
“As an intern, I had a lot of duties that you would imagine, but I also was able to meet with figures who have been very influential in our government,” she said.
Schnell applied to the internship in January of her senior year while enrolled in the LSJ honors course on the impact of deportation in Washington State.
“To be quite frank participating in the LSJ major is why I got the internship,” she said. “When I took Professor Herbert’s intro class I started to volunteer at the Monroe Correctional Complex, and from there I joined LSJ honors.”
Stephen Yi, class of 2006 and Emily Wittman, class of 2013, who were both undergraduate interns in Senator Maria Cantwell’s office and both landed their first jobs in her office, echoed Schnell’s thoughts on the impact of LSJ.
“You are trained to look at how the law affects society and where it falls short,” Yim said. “[LSJ] makes you evaluate [the law] in different ways I never used to before. I think it really helped me with my first job in the senate, it gave me that outlook on how to approach the issues. It totally changed the way I look at everything.”
Yim, who also has a Master of Public Administration from Seattle University, is an Advisor at the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and works out of Seattle. He is a Presidential Management Fellow from the Wage and Hour Division at the US Department of Labor where he focuses on policy issues for the Farm Labor/Immigration Branch of the Division of Enforcement Policy and Procedures, according to the initiative’s website.
Growing up in Kansas City, Yim says he wasn’t aware of the problems Asian Americans faced. Not until moving to Washington D.C. after graduation did he realize the extent of these issues.
“I didn’t really take the time to learn about the community when I was an undergrad. I felt like I was always so busy I just didn’t make the time to do it and I wish I had because there are lot of important issues that can be fixed if we take the time,” he said.
As far as the future, Yim is unsure.
“What do I want to do when I grow up?” he asked himself. “My entire work history has been about trying to help vulnerable populations and make sure the government is accountable. I want to keep doing something like that.”
Stephen Yim will be part of the panel at the LSJ Career Night Alumni Panel and Mixer Feb. 17, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the HUB 214.
By Student Communications Assistant | Kate Clark