Outcomes

×

Tina Marie Doran ‘10, Medical Person in Charge / Mate / Dive Instructor, Sea | Mester

1) Tell us about your current role.

I'm a teacher and mate aboard a 112ft sail training schooner that offers semester-abroad programs to undergraduate students. Up to 31 students and staff live on the boat together for 90 days at a time; every two years the ship circumnavigates the globe. I'm the ship's head medic. I also help students plan meals & buy groceries (they do all the cooking!), teach scuba diving, and teach one of the four accredited classes taught each semester: Student Leadership Studies. The thing I love the most about my job is the sense of community fostered by shipboard life. It's an amazing thing, to watch 30 people go from strangers to family over the course of 90 days -- all while having the adventure of a lifetime.
 
2) What lead you from Bard to working for Sea | Mester?

After I left Bard I moved first to Spain then to Honduras to get more involved with marine science and scuba diving. I lived in Honduras for two years teaching scuba before coming back to the states for grad school (NYU: MA in Environmental Conservation Education). In the mean time I picked up employment with GXG's high school branch, ActionQuest, which operates in the British Virgin Islands each summer. After I got my degree they were interested in moving me up to the big boats, and I jumped at the opportunity.

3) How do did your Bard experience help prepare you for your career?

Since I'm so involved in the marine environment, I use what I learned in my major daily -- but even if I hadn't, it wouldn't matter: Bard helped shape me into who I am today. Because of Bard I think more critically, debate civilly, and write with facility -- all hard skills that Bard drills into us, no matter what our major. I also learned from the tremendous example of my professors and advisers (especially Mark Lindeman!) about how to mentor my own students, how to inspire them to learn, how to facilitate excellent class discussions -- and more. I wouldn't trade my time in Annandale for anything.

4) What advice would you give to current students about “life after Bard”?

Those first few years are going to be hard. Your head and heart will be full of ideas, but breaking into the workforce can be challenging -- and that's not even getting into the nitty gritty details of adult life outside the Bard bubble. You'll have at least one "what am I doing with my life?!" crisis. You'll push through it. And a piece of advice my Captain once gave me that I'll pass along to you: "never set foot on a deck you're afraid to step off of." In other words: never be so hard up for work that you compromise who you are and what you stand for. There are plenty of other ways to pay off your tremendous student loan debt that don't involve working for someone who takes advantage of you -- and you will be able to find them. Bard grads are some of the most intelligent, resourceful, and outside-the-box people I know. You will find your niche. I promise.

5) What did you enjoy most about your years at Bard?

The lifelong friendships, the amazing faculty, walks out to Cruger Island, getting to (and being encouraged to!) take biology, russian literature, Spanish, and music lessons all at the same time, the curly fries at DTR, original Bard band concerts during Spring Fling, overhearing Klein conversations like "if there were a theme park based on the Western philosophical tradition, what kind of rollercoaster would Nietzche be?" -- and much, much more.

×

Monica Elkinton ’03, Assistant Municipal Attorney, Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska

1. Tell us about what you do and what you enjoy most about it.
 
I am an in-house attorney for the largest municipality in Alaska.  Anchorage contains about half the population of Alaska, about half a million people.  It's the most racially diverse city in the United States. 
 
I defend the city from lawsuits like personal injury or employment discrimination.  I am a civil litigator and go to court all the time, including doing jury trials.  I also advise the municipal departments on legal issues.  I like that it's a stable job, but with some excitement and variety, and the opportunity to learn all about how our local government works.
 
2. What was your path like from Bard to becoming an attorney?
 
I was a math major at Bard, and a TLS scholar.  I loved participating in Math Table for lunch and Pi Day parties, but I knew math graduate school wasn't for me.  When I was a First-Year, Lauren Rose said, "Math majors can do anything.  They can even go to law school."  In the 2000 election, the Dutchess County Board of Elections wouldn't let Bard students register to vote, so I organized a bunch of protests and we talked to a lawyer from the NY Civil Liberties Union and got help from the Dutchess County Democratic Party.  Luckily, things changed (for a while).  I befriended a party leader who worked for Senator Chuck Schumer.  She offered me a part-time unpaid summer internship in her office.  I worked there 10-4 on weekdays and made money by working at Stewart's Shop in Red Hook from 5-10am every day.
 
After Bard, I went to Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, which has paragraph evaluations instead of grades and focuses on public service and social justice instead of competition.  It also has mandatory internships as part of the law school graduation requirements.  Some students choose to do their internships in Boston, but I chose to do mine all over the country.  I worked for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and then public defenders in Alaska, Kentucky, and Miami.  After graduation I became a criminal defense attorney in Anchorage, and now I do civil law for the municipality. 
 
3. How do you feel your experiences at Bard helped prepare you for your career?
 
I took as many non-major classes at Bard as possible.  Music, religion, political studies, art, literature, history, whatever I could find.  All of it helped me to figure out what I wanted to do for a career, along with what I did NOT want to do. Bard taught me to be creative and to not be too scared about thinking outside the box.  A math background helps me line up my ideas in a linear way, and use logic to draw conclusions.  Writing proofs in math is pretty similar to writing legal briefs. I wrote so many papers at Bard that writing is also completely second nature to me.  I am always surprised how many people there are in the world that don't know how to write. 
 
4. What advice would you give to current students about “life after Bard”?
 
When I started at Bard, I didn't really know what to major in.  When I started law school, I didn't really know what kind of law I wanted to practice.  It's ok not to know, and to be exposed to lots of different things.  You'll figure it out. 
 
Lots of people are looking for a "dream job", but your "dream job" may not actually exist.  There are jobs that are very rewarding, but are very challenging.  There are jobs that are very demanding of your time, but compensated better than a job with more predictable hours.  Many jobs are driven by the personality of your supervisor or co-workers.  Try to figure out what qualities in a job you need, and what qualities you can live without.  Internships are helpful for this because they can give you insight into what you personally like or don't like about various jobs. 
 
5. What did you enjoy most about your years at Bard?
 
I loved my department faculty, and how close the Math and CS Departments were.  I also don't think I've ever had a chance since Bard to go to so many film screenings and art and photo shows.  The student art and music were amazing!! 
 
I loved being challenged by the other students too. I was at Bard during 9-11.  One of my classmates was living in Tivoli in a dog cage inside his house for an integrated arts project.  Visiting him to tell him what had happened the morning of 9-11 is an experience I will never forget.
 
6. Is there anything else you would like to share about Bard, careers, navigating the professional world, etc.?
 
Try out as many things as you want.  You'll never know until you try.  You can support yourself while still following your dreams.  Get retail jobs or whatever you need to pay your loans and rent while pursuing your goal. There's a whole big world out there of possible jobs.  Find as many people as possible who actually work in the field you want and talk to them about what it takes to get there.

×

Yvonna Groom '13, Social Media Strategist, EGAMI Group

1) Tell us about what you do.
I’m a social media strategist—basically my job is to live and breathe social media for huge brands who want to reach the masses. I get to tweet, post, snap, capture and produce content for a living, so that’s a lot of fun. The best part though is the human aspect—part of my job is to manage social communities, I love when people share their stories with the brand and I get to respond letting them know that we support and hear them. People love knowing that there is a human on the other side of the keyboard and I like being that human for them!

2) What was your path from Bard to landing your career at EGAMI Group?
My path was pretty fluid—after realizing very quickly that all of my training and extra time spent prepping for law school wasn’t something I really wanted to do long term, I realized that creatively I need to be in a digital space, something more innovative vs traditional. At the time, I didn’t think I’d be running social accounts for major brands and working with other content creators, but I’ve always known that I’d be somewhere creative.

3) How do you feel your Bard education helped prepare you for your career? 
I actually started my career in Editorial and Public Relations (Fashion and Beauty), after interning over the summer and doing some remote jobs while on campus.  Quickly I realized my value was in digital and social media vs traditional PR and communications. My first big social media job was referred to me by a Bard Alum (@bardalumni). During my interview, the partner of the company was pretty excited to hear that I went to Bard; he cracked a few jokes about the "fawncy" art hipster vibes at Bard. Nonetheless, I felt there was a mutual level of respect between us because I went to Bard, and inherently he knew that I would be a great employee and hard worker.

4) What advice would you give to current students about “life after Bard”?
Prep as much as you can to insure that you have some sort of stability (i.e. try not to graduate unemployed!) but don’t stress out about things like career path and long term goals. Life after Bard, is just that… Life! So many things will get thrown your way, you may shift and pivot in ways you couldn’t imagine. What IS important, is that you can support yourself and understand your worth. I’ve always been a bit of a planner, but sometimes planning is not an option. You have to be ready to grind, hustle and cultivate the life YOU want. If you find yourself in a rut, snap out of it and get moving. You are in control of your own journey, don’t let your privilege get in the way of true success; nothing should be handed to you. You HAVE to put in the work!

5) What did you enjoy most about Bard?
My friends, dance team(s) and professors! I owe so much of my professional success to the philosophy department (shout out to Daniel Berthold and Garry Hagberg!) They pushed me to think outside of the box, to be comfortable in critical thinking—they never let me settle on what the consensus was at the time, there was always a push to keep thinking, to keep discovering, to find solutions based off of research and observation. The training that you get at Bard is unprecedented—I definitely appreciate it more now that I am off campus! I could have done without the monthly power outage though, that darn pole on 9G!

×

Yugon Kim '98, Founding Partner, IKD

1. Tell us about what you do.

I run a small architectural design firm, IKD, in Cambridge, MA, that is cross-disciplinary in nature: we have backgrounds in architecture, art, exhibition design, furniture and set design. From its inception, the intersection of architecture and art has been at the core of our design philosophy. We enjoy the freedom to work on a wide range of different projects and clients and every day we work on something new.

2. What was your career path like after Bard?

After Bard, I worked as a furniture maker while I continued my sculptural work. After a few years, I decided to go to Architecture school at Harvard's Graduate school of Design. I worked with a number of architects after graduating, most recently with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Genoa, Italy where I oversaw the design and construction of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum extension for a period of 6 years. At the completion of this project, I co-founded IKD with a classmate from Harvard and have taught at a number area schools, now currently at the Rhode Island School of Design.

3. How do you feel your experiences at Bard helped prepare you for your career?

Bard helped me identify my own voice by introducing me to a wide range of voices both teachers and fellow students

4. What advice would you give to current students about “life after Bard”?

Always take full advantage of an opportunity that comes your way no matter how small. You never know how one thing can lead to another or how things organically come together.

5. What did you enjoy most about your years at Bard?

The freedom to explore whatever I wanted...

6. Any final words for your fellow Bardians?

Just do what you love...

______________________

Check out more from Yugon and IKD on their website: http://i-k-design.com/#
@yugonkim

×

Grayson Morley '13, MFA Candidate, Fiction, Iowa Writers' Workshop

1) Tell us about your experience so far at The University of Iowa.

I'm an MFA candidate in fiction at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and I teach both creative writing and English courses as part of my funding package. I'm working on an absurdist novel about UPS efficiency tracking, part of which will comprise my thesis when I graduate from the program in May 2017.

2) What was your career path post-Bard?

After Bard, I worked a six-month fellowship focusing on farmworker labor rights in Western New York. Then, I returned to Bard to work with the Office of Alumni/ae Affairs for just under two years. I started grad school at the Iowa Writers' Workshop in August 2015, and I'll finish the degree this coming May.

3) How do you feel your experiences at Bard helped prepare you for your current studies?

My Bard education proved to me the value of inquisitiveness and unwavering idealism. Mentors like Mary Caponegro and Matthew Mutter not only shaped my time in Annandale, but have remained treasured resources, and friends, into my life beyond Bard. My involvement with the Bard Prison Initiative remains a formative experience in my trajectory as an educator and person. I am deeply proud of my association with it, and with Bard as a whole.

4) What advice would you give to current students about “life after Bard”?

If your plan is to go to grad school, take some time off first. No, seriously. I received this advice from mentors, and while I was loathe to take it ("How many cover letters do I have to write?"), the years I spent working provided experiences that enriched my current course of education.

5) What did you enjoy most about Bard?

You never met a boring person. There were no carbon copies: everyone was so sincerely into their own, particular thing. My friends jokingly called it the Island of Misfit Toys, but since graduating, I've come to greatly miss that eclectic community.

6) Final thoughts about navigating the professional world post-Bard?

Things will be messy at first. Possibly disheartening. But embrace what comes—then work like hell to find your ideal.

×

Cameron Ogg ’11, Graduate Research Assistant & PhD Candidate in Neuroscience, University of Tennessee Health Science Center

1. Tell us about your current graduate studies.
 
Currently, I’m a graduate student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, looking forward to graduating with a PhD in Neuroscience this August. In the lab, I use neuroimaging as well as behavioral approaches to better understand how different brain states, such as attention, can modulate sensory processing and lead to changes in perception. Whether presenting my work at a conference or teaching kids at brain awareness events, I really enjoy sharing science with others. I hadn’t realized that this isn’t the case with all scientists (there are plenty who would love to stay behind the bench). I’m hoping to cultivate and utilize this enthusiasm and excitement as I move forward in my scientific career.
 
2. What was your career path after graduating from Bard?
 
In my final year at Bard, I started to realize that graduate school was what I wanted to do, but I took some time after graduation to make sure this was the right decision for me. For a year, I worked in the Small Animal Imaging Core at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in my hometown of Memphis, TN. Working in a research environment solidified my desire to attend grad school and I began my current program in September 2012.
 
3. How do you feel your experiences at Bard helped prepare you for your career?
 
Several linguistics classes that I took at Bard stimulated my interest in neuroscience—without this exposure to the humanities, I wouldn’t have found the scientific field I love now! For my senior project work on tickborne disease, my mentor at Bard, Dr. Felicia Keesing, encouraged me to participate in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. This early research experience, along with the critical and creative thinking cultivated at Bard, has proven so valuable to me in the years since.
 
4. What advice would you give to current students about “life after Bard”?
 
Be flexible. You may have a very specific plan about “what you want to be”, but unexpected opportunities can end up being better than you could have imagined! Consider and explore alternatives—at the very least, you’ll have grown from the experience.
 
5. What did you enjoy most about Bard?
 
Don Eastman, the president of Eckerd College, said that a liberal arts education “provides… for the development of the skills necessary… to become effective and thoughtful citizens of the world”. I am so thankful that not only did I get to become an educated citizen of the world at Bard, but that my son, who was born while I was at Bard, did as well. It’s more important than ever these days!