Policy Management Major Receives Venture for America Fellowship

Benjamin Rush Statue Hand

Benjamin Rush statue

Jamey Harman

Major: policy management, philosophy
Hometown: Bethesda, Maryland
Fellowship/Employer: Venture for America Startup Network

Job Responsibilities

As a Venture for America fellow, I will be matched with a startup in one of 15 U.S emerging cities.

Purpose of Fellowship

Venture for America is a two-year fellowship for recent grads who want to learn how to build a business while making an impact. VFA Fellows get training and join a startup in an emerging U.S. city, where they live and work for two years at one of our hundreds of partner companies. They learn hands-on what it takes to build a company, while getting the mentorship, network, resources and ongoing support to prepare themselves to become successful entrepreneurs.

How has Dickinson prepared you for your future?

It taught me to think analytically and to ask the right questions. It taught me how to manage my time effectively (with two campus jobs and my involvement in many different organizations). It taught me to write concisely and to write well. It taught me to challenge myself and to get over my fear of public speaking. It taught me what mentorship can look like through all of the professors that are so dedicated to my success.

Internship Experience

  • Action in Montgomery: community organizing intern.
  • Project Vote Smart: political research intern.
  • Maryland Medicaid: health analyst intern.

What are you most anticipating about your career or post-graduate pursuits?

I'm really excited to dive into working at a challenging startup and to learn about the world outside of Dickinson.

What are some of the defining moments of your Dickinson experience?

I loved my First Year Seminar because it laid the groundwork for the rest of my Dickinson experience. I took "Ideas that Shaped the World," and I was immediately thrown into challenging philosophical texts with a professor that cared deeply about us and the material. I fell more in love with philosophy in Moral Problems (highly recommend to all!) with Professor Jim Sias. I decided to major in it the first day of that class. Going abroad to New Zealand was also an amazing part of my Dickinson experience. I learned how to be independent and to use the skills I had learned at Dickinson in an entirely new context thousands of miles away. Then, upon returning, I was looking for classes and I stumbled upon a Policy Studies one. I met with Professor Jim Hoefler to talk about the class and to see if I should take it. In that initial meeting, upon hearing how passionate I am about policy work, he cared so much about my personal growth that he helped me to figure out how I could double major in Policy Management. He has since helped me to network with people in the healthcare field and taught me so, so many skills to be prepared for the professional world. As a result of these two majors, and the many other influential professors and staff during my Dickinson career that believed in me and tried to help me in any way possible, I have had an incredible time here.

TAKE THE NEXT STEPS

Published May 14, 2018