By Charlotte Sutcliffe, PPS & Psychology student '27
Hosted by Duke’s Center for Child and Family Policy and moderated by Katie Rosanbalm, the recent CCFP Career Series Panel brought together five certificate alumni at different stages in their professional career. Working across fields in social policy research, health technology, education, and post-graduate studies, the panel offered current Duke students advice and a conversation about life after Duke.
The panel featured Jenn Acosta (social policy research), Jillian Caukin (health technology), Meredith Davin (Northwestern Kellogg), Chloe Golfinos (Director of Operations at Uncommon Schools), and Tara Vigil (doctoral student at the University of Maryland). Though their careers significantly differ, several themes have emerged:
Paths are not Linear:
One of the most important takeaways from the discussion was how nonlinear each of the alumni's journeys has been. Two of the most clear examples came from Meredith and Jillian. Meredith, a 2017 graduate, originally planned to attend law school. However, after meeting representatives from the FBI at a career fair, she pivoted to working in government service, spending four years in a research planning office, and is now currently enrolled in the business school at Northwestern Kellogg hoping to go into consulting.
Similarly, Jillian began her path as a Robertson scholar and worked at the Center for Child and Family Policy while applying for medical school. However, she soon realized that medical school was not aligned with what would make her truly happy. Today, she has moved into working in health technology, a path she would have never envisioned herself in.
In addition to these stories, the additional 3 panelists pushed the message that careers are rarely straight lines. As Jenn put it, “you can only map things out so far in advance”. It is important to be open-minded and embrace the windiness of the road that may be in your way.
The Importance of People:
When asked what excites them most about their current roles, nearly every alumna highlighted the people. It was clear that the message, the people make the place, is undoubtedly true. As an example, Jenn spoke about how the most satisfying part of her job is actually getting to collaborate with such amazing people on a daily basis. Additionally, Meredith advised students to evaluate not only the work itself when applying for a job, but also whether there are people there you would genuinely enjoy working with. It is important to remember that you are interviewing people as much as they are interviewing you.
On the same tangent, the emphasis on relationships extends beyond the workplace. Tara encouraged students to continue to build connections, whether it be through listservs, networking professionally, or with past/current professors. External connections played a pivotal role in all of their journeys helping them reach the places and the people they have become today.
Building upon Skills
Lastly, a key theme was also the power and necessity of the skills they built during their undergraduate degree, but specifically the skills they developed during the CCFP certificate program. All the alumni consistently pointed to communication, writing, and confidence as foundational skills that helped shape their trajectories.
Specifically, Jenn and Chloe spoke about the capstone project of the certificate program being one of the most tangible and important experiences they have had. They reflected on learning how to distill complex research into accessible, audience-centered communication, which is a skill still applicable to date. Chloe even used her capstone project as a foundation for the graduate level work in her master’s program.
Beyond the importance of technical skills, Jilliam described learning to go beyond her comfort zone and trusting herself to navigate new roles. The certificate experience gave her the reassurance that she could handle things and figure them out even in unfamiliar professional environments.
Charlotte Sutcliffe is a junior double majoring in public policy and psychology. She is interested in advancing pediatric healthcare policy and the protection of global human rights in support of equitable child welfare.