Please give a brief background on yourself and your career.
I am a policy analyst and human rights advocate based in San Francisco but originally from New Hampshire. I graduated from Wellesley in 2010 with a degree in South Asian Studies and received my master of public policy from Georgetown University two years later. Since then I have focused my professional energy on a combination of women’s and girls’ equity, human rights, policy and political campaigning, project management and strategic communications.
Most recently, I served as the Legislative Director at the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women. San Francisco boasts a unique history with women’s rights. In 1998, it became the first city in the world to adopt into law the principles of CEDAW, an international women’s rights treaty not yet ratified by the federal government. The Department works to implement and fulfill these principles through grants, legislative advocacy and public-private collaboration. I led various projects dealing with women’s and family economic security, education, and health. My interests have recently expanded to include other big issues in the Bay Area including sex work, violence against women, and girls and human trafficking.
My San Francisco human rights career has also taken me to the international level. In March, I testified before the United Nations Human Rights Committee on the federal government’s failure to protect, respect and fulfill women’s rights. Specifically, the right to a discrimination-free workplace.
This fall I decided to look for opportunities beyond government which will bring me one step closer to those individuals experiencing human rights violations. I believe that this is the time in my career to specialize and work directly with impacted populations, and bring that value back to a future government career. My search extends to San Francisco, Oakland, New York City, Boston, Washington, DC and international locations.
How has your career changed since you originally envisioned it at Wellesley? What other careers did you consider as a student?
In some ways I’ve felt like I’ve done a 180 since 2010. In other ways, my Wellesley career has prepared me precisely for my current role in women’s rights. As a student, I was certain my career would entail US-South Asia politics or at least development and nonprofit work in India. I also thought I might head to the State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. To this end, while in school, I pursued research and programming internships in Washington, D.C. at the Atlantic Council, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Asian American Justice Center, and in Boston at the William J. Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative.
Then, on a whim after graduate school, I opted to give the West Coast a chance. I joined the campaign of a local politician with a commitment to civil rights and have been engaged in San Francisco politics ever since. This early involvement in local policy and my developing interest in human rights issues in the United States brought me to the Department on the Status of Women.
How has Wellesley contributed to your career?
Wellesley was a very important launching pad both for my career as well as my confidence. Being surrounded by smart, self-reliant, diverse women helped me realize my own potential (and my own brand of feminism). I also credit Wellesley with helping make me a more independent and critical thinker. Finally, the alums and professors have been excellent resources at all points of my career, from finding internships to landing jobs.
What is a typical work day or work week like for you?
I spent the last two years with the Department managing projects and acting on legislation that impacts women and girls. A typical work day would include reading through all Board of Supervisor agendas and the Mayor’s legislative announcements, attending hearings, drafting talking points and letters on issues, meeting with coalition members and maintaining the projects under my supervision.
One major project of mine was the Healthy Mothers Workplace Coalition. Developed as part of a CDC community transformation grant to address health disparities for working mothers and their infants, Healthy Mothers operates on the understanding that workplace policies severely impact pregnant women (61% of new mothers work during their pregnancy) and women with children. Our work consisted of many activities: we built a self-assessment tool and award program for San Francisco family-friendly workplaces. We pushed for local legislation that fills gaps in work-family policies. We worked to educate our communities on current laws for the equal treatment of pregnant workers and working parents. On a day-to-day basis I would maintain our social media accounts, provide technical assistance to organizations applying for the award, ghost-write opinion pieces, plan events and perform outreach.
What piece of advice would you offer students looking to get into your area of interest and expertise?
I currently serve as a Co-Alumnae Admissions Representative for Northern California and I always tell prospective and new students to start early with building meaningful relationships with alumnae and field contacts. Invitations to coffee (sent through a shared contact) are my favorite way to meet new people working in policy. I often do this by looking for shared connections on LinkedIn. When I travel for personal reasons, I also try to tack on a couple meet-ups with area academics of policy analysts.
I believe this type of networking is important not just for finding employment or making contacts but also for gaining a more complete picture of the types of opportunities available in the field. Human rights policy work can take you just about anywhere. One might consider serving as a government policy analyst, addressing human rights concerns from within the system. A legislative or policy advocate housed at a nonprofit would be able to testify for and advise on policy with the direct experience and stories of those impacted. One might opt to work for a corporate-sponsored foundation (i.e., HERProject with Levi Strauss or the Nike Foundation serving girls in sports) or perform research at a think tank such as the Center for American Progress or Institute for Peace. One could also consult, provide legal services, monitor violations abroad — the possibilities are endless.
However, what I consider most important for a young graduate is that she immerse herself in the population whose rights she aims to represent. Volunteer, join relevant organizations, write with and about members of the population. One can always work toward high level policy. It’s much better to start off by developing personal connections and gaining new perspectives and then to later bring the unique value of those experiences to policy work.
What do you wish you had known as a student?
The importance of statistics for many professions as well as for maintaining a critical and independent perspective on issues and a healthy understanding of probability.
If you could come back and take one class at Wellesley what would it be?
I am currently obsessed with Professor Radhakrishnan’s MOOC Intro to Global Sociology (in progress now). On campus I would love to take Professor Cuba’s Punishment or even re-take Professor Rao’s City in South Asia, an all-time favorite. Wellesley – isn’t it time for a gender studies graduate program?