A Perk of Traveling for Fletcher

Our last word on travel this fall comes from Kristen.

Though my experiences traveling for Fletcher have been much less dramatic than Peter’s recent brush with the Southern California wildfires, they are no less exciting. One of my favorite things about being on the road is getting to interact with Fletcher alumni on their home turf. We often ask them to help out at recruiting events, so that prospective students can get the low-down on the Fletcher experience. It’s never hard to find alumni volunteers – they are excited to help, and sometimes we even have to turn people away. Our alumni are really in their element at these events where they can talk about their careers and their time at Fletcher – both subjects of deep passion for most.

I’ve very much enjoyed getting to know the alumni at these events. In Toronto, Waidehi Gokhale talked about how her work takes her all over the world for War Child Canada. She was getting ready for a research trip to Afghanistan when I saw her in September. In Washington, DC, Kevin Book regaled us with stories of his work doing political analysis for the energy sector at FBR. He really brings the subject to life and speaks of the many areas (security, environment, geopolitics, policy) that influence his work – a true Fletcher interdisciplinary perspective! In London, I spent time with Pedro Sanudo, the European advertising director for Yahoo! Pedro is well-integrated into the European business scene, and is on the cutting edge of new media.

The exciting part about speaking with these alumni, and many others like them, is that we see the Fletcher degree in action. We read your applications before you come, and get to hear about your plans and expectations. Then we see an infinite number of variations on the Fletcher experience, from self-designed curricula to varied thesis topics, to unique involvement in student groups. But seeing what happens afterward is what makes this job truly gratifying.

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