By Bess Pierre, PPS/Child Policy Research Certificate student '25
This past December, I had the privilege of joining the Center for Child and Family Policy on a trip to Washington, DC as part of a new pilot program that offers an incredible experience for Duke undergraduates considering or seeking careers in child and family policy. Building on the Sanford Pathways Program – a weekend trip to DC that introduces undergraduate students to domestic and international policy tracks – the Deep Dives program focuses on career pathways in specific policy tracks. The Sanford Pathways Program Deep Dive: Child and Family Policy provided students the opportunity to gain first-hand exposure to professionals working closely on current issues in the field, as well as various career possibilities.
Our itinerary covered a range of work settings and policy focuses, from advocacy at the Children’s Defense Fund to policy evaluation at the Administration on Children and Families. At each location, we were welcomed by encouraging and supportive alumni, all of whom shared insight into their own career trajectories and policy interests.
Nonlinear Journeys
As a fall semester senior, I chose to go on this trip in a frenzy of panic about my own career. At Duke, it is almost impossible to resist the impulse to compare oneself to other students and their job offers, opportunities, and post-grad plans. There is an overt pressure to know where you’re going and why. In DC, I hoped to get some clarity and be more prepared to respond to the “what’s next” questions from my family over winter break.
Given my uncertainty, I was both shocked and pleased when the core message of the weekend was this: you don’t have to have it all figured out. In fact, maybe it’s better if you don’t. Young alumni Zadaiah Roye (T ‘22, Human Rights Campaign) and Olivia Reneau (PPS ‘22, U.S. Senate) provided a refreshingly transparent perspective on the simultaneous excitement and chaos of finishing undergrad, coupled with the sometimes difficult logistics of adulting. As someone contemplating moving to DC post-grad, it was comforting to hear perspectives that didn’t sugar-coat the realities of being a young professional, while also offering words of encouragement.
I was both shocked and pleased when the core message of the weekend was this: you don’t have to have it all figured out. In fact, maybe it’s better if you don’t.
Apart from young graduates, a surprising number of alumni emphasized the importance of an experiential start. Many individuals we spoke with, including Pete Mills (MPP ‘17, U.S. Senate) and Hayley Sanon (PPS ‘17, Senate HELP Committee), started their post-grad journeys in the classroom through programs like Teach for America. Many of the issues they work on now are informed by the perspectives they gained through teaching, driven by a desire to improve conditions and opportunities for children while at school. It was inspiring to see alumni of all ages ultimately leveraging their personal experience to shape their career choices and enact meaningful change in the education policy landscape.
While some emphasized that their initial post-grad experience informed their later tracks, others emphasized that they had to pivot in order to rediscover meaning. After serving in the Peace Corp and earning a Master’s in Public Policy from Duke in 2019, Joe Marshal worked at a major corporate consulting firm before shifting into grants policy in the U.S. Department of Education. By turning to the public sector, Marshal was able to reconnect with the people and processes he found most fulfilling. It was eye-opening to hear firsthand from an individual who left corporate life in favor of public administration with great success.
Program Evaluation in Action
One of my favorite conversations was with Lauren Amos ‘98, who works as a Principal Researcher at Mathematica. Amos discussed her day-to-day, which includes leveraging a mix of qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate programs and policies in schools. My own honors thesis evaluated the implementation of a provision of a federal education policy at the state level, and it was thrilling to hear that work like mine could be expanded into an entire career. At Mathematica, Amos works closely with government officials, policy practitioners, and school district personnel to both evaluate and improve existing programs. I left her panel feeling motivated and excited about exploring careers at research institutions, specifically in the realm of program evaluation. Working at the intersection of data, people, and policy is a possible direction that I plan to consider.
This experience in DC not only gave me concrete career options to explore further but also encouraged me and the other attendees to take a breath. These alumni have dedicated themselves to careers in policy, ultimately working to improve the lives of children and families in their own unique, often non-linear way. As I reflect on the individuals and institutions we came across, I walked away with an enduring sense of passion and enthusiasm that each instilled in us.
Thank you to all of the amazing speakers and panelists: Dr. Rev. Starsky Wilson, Dustin Pickett (MDiv ‘16), Lauren Reliford, and Carolyn Sanford of the Children’s Defense Fund; Joe Marshall (MPP ‘19), Terea Biagioni, Jessica McKinney, and Shelby Hulse (MPP ‘19) of the U.S. Department of Education; Aleta Meyer, Jenessa Malin (T ‘11), Liza Rodler (MPP ‘22), and Marie Lawrence (PPS ‘10) of the Administration on Children and Families; Pete Mills (MPP ‘17, U.S. Senate), Hayley Sanon (PPS ‘17, Senate HELP Committee), Rita Zota (MPP ‘09, Congressional Research Service), LesLeigh Ford (PhD ‘18, Urban Institute), Megan O’Toole (T ‘08, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), Nadia Ford (MPP ‘19, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development), Rebecca Dixon (T '98, J.D.'07, A.M.'07, National Employment Law Project), Shannon Rudisill (T ‘94, Early Childhood Funders Collaborative), Lauren Amos (T ‘98, Mathematica), Olivia Reneau (PPS ‘22, U.S. Senate), and Zadaiah Roye (T ‘22, Human Rights Campaign).
Bess Pierre is a senior majoring in Public Policy with a minor in German and a Child Policy Research certificate. She is interested in improving child welfare and education systems through program evaluation and evidence-based implementation.