The Future is Now

Class of '09 prepares to make its mark

May 12, 2009

Clockwise from top left: Llamilet Gutierrez, Chandan Sapkota, Kelly LaRue and Matthew J. Stone.

Caitlin Rice has very big goals.

A Russian major who has twice studied abroad in Moscow, Rice wants to improve national security and help the United States construct more peaceful and meaningful exchanges with other nations. And she is on her way to doing just that. With plans to work as a federal intelligence advisor or policy analyst, Rice has been accepted into a master's program in security and intelligence studies at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Public and International Affairs.

Rice is only one of many globally aware, service-minded graduating seniors who are being recognized for their excellent work at Dickinson by prestigious foundations, organizations, employers and graduate schools.

Rice says that her mission of peace took root in her elementary-school years.

"I remember staring, wide-eyed, at the bright, five-foot political map of the world hanging on the wall and pondering how countries could be contained and defined by those eighth-inch-thick, black lines," Rice recalls. "Over time I recognized that the intricacies of international relations … are indeed a challenge to chart and untangle." But it's a challenge she relishes.

Chandan Sapkota, Mofeyisayo Ayodele and Ritwik Niyogi are among the many 2009 grads who combine a global perspective with service orientation. Sapkota is an economics major who will work as a research assistant for the prestigious Junior Fellows Program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. When his fellowship ends, he will pursue a Ph.D. in economics. Ayodele, an international-studies major, recently was awarded a $24,000 Ambassadorial Scholarship by The Rotary Foundation to study at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. Niyogi, a mathematics, neuroscience and physics major, has been awarded a summer research assistanceship at Princeton University's Center for the Study of Brain, Mind and Behavior. In the fall, he will enter a doctoral program in theoretical neuroscience at London's Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit. "I consider myself extremely fortunate to be granted this amazing opportunity to be trained by the very best in my field," he said.

Joanne Williams, who has been accepted at Yale Law School, will study tribal law to effect positive change for Native Americans.

"I hope to make a difference by protecting the sovereignty of the tribal governments," she explains, adding that after practicing for a few years, she plans to train a future generation of tribal lawyers. "I hope to fight for greater recognition of the Indians' right to self-governance because … the Indian Nations, like all nations across the world, [should] be allowed to make their own choices in the pursuit of prosperity and felicity."

This powerful sense of service to others is at the core of many graduating seniors' career decisions.

Laura Lyons hopes to use behavioral techniques to help refugees and trauma survivors. She plans to earn a master's in applied-behavior analysis at Columbia University's Teachers College while working full time at an inner-city school for children with emotional disturbances or pervasive-developmental disorders. "I also will spend some of my time student teaching in a regular-education classroom to gain my teacher certification," she says.

Other accomplished seniors include Alexis Henry, who will pursue a master's degree in urban-education policy at Brown University; Alec Johnson, who has been accepted into Columbia University's master's program in journalism; Adrian Kostrubiak, who will attend Dartmouth College to earn a master's in computer science; Brendan Stuart, who will be going into the law program at the University of Pennsylvania; Ke Zhou plans to attain a J.D. at Harvard Law School; and Kelly LaRue, who received a stipend and full tuition to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular biology at Princeton.

Clarinetist Elyssa Plotkin, who will pursue a master's degree in performing-arts administration at New York University in the fall, has been accepted for a summer internship at New York's Lincoln Center. She will work in the development office for the New York City Opera, which has been closed for the 2008-09 season for renovations and will re-open in the fall. "This makes my job even more important, because the NYC Opera will need even more funds and support to start the season out strong," she notes. She hopes to one day found her own ensemble.

Llamilet Gutierrez, a law & policy major, is the first member of her family to graduate from college. Gutierrez will pursue a J.D. at Lewis & Clark Law School.

Some Dickinsonians are headed straight to work after graduation. Despite the current economic downturn, these Dickinsonians are obtaining desirable positions across the country and around the world.

International business & management majors who have landed impressive jobs include Benjamin C. Rafetto, who has been hired as a trading analyst at Societe Generale; Paris St. Clair, who will work as an analyst at Barclays Capital in New York; and Matthew J. Stone, who will manage structured-finance products as a corporate trust administrator at The Bank of New York Mellon.

Lisa Estrella, a political-science major, will be a patient ambassador at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Elizabeth Poulsen, an international-studies major and one of nearly a dozen 2009 grads who will work in international affairs, has accepted a position with the Peace Corps.

Katherine Winckworth-Prejsnar will teach English to middle-school students in the Hunan Province of China as part of the World Teach program, and Alison Pryor plans to teach primary or secondary students in France in a position funded by the French Ministry of Education.

Pryor, a French and international-studies major, says that she was inspired to apply to the program because of her experiences teaching English to a middle-school student in Toulouse. "I enjoyed preparing weekly lessons and helping this young girl learn a second language," says Pryor, who notes that she is one of three Dickinson students to gain a French Ministry teaching position this year. "I want to try it out and see if it's something I would really enjoy doing later in my life."

Successes such as these come as little surprise to Pat Mullane, executive director of the Career Center, who says that Dickinson students' global focus and multidisciplinary approach to problem solving enables them to stand out in the applicant pool.

Despite current economic woes, he says that Dickinsonians who have not yet selected a career path can take heart.

"There are still plenty of opportunities for [Dickinson] students," he says, explaining that success comes with planning, focus and motivation. "The Career Center is here to help students and alumni design and execute an effective job search plan."

Read more about the class of 2009 in Life Beyond the Limestone.