Background information
- Class of 2021
- PPE & French major
- Campus involvements: Red Corps Fellow, Community Advisor, Hillel Shabbat Coordinator and Chef, Club Basketball, Peer Mentor
How did Denison prepare me for my career?
Denison did a great job preparing me for my career.
Without my majors (PPE and French) I would not be the person I am today. PPE helped me to cultivate my own informed worldview and opened my eyes to some of the world’s most pressing issues. Leading up to my senior research with Dr. Burczak (how a carbon tax or cap and trade system could fund a Universal Basic Income), I was able to take a number of classes with the environmental studies department. Those classes and what I learned led me to my master’s program in International Sustainability Management. That program was two years long, based between Berlin and Paris. And without having been able to speak French (I started at French 111 – and took at least one class every semester) I am not sure I would have my current job.
While my majors changed the trajectory of my life I also had some very enriching academic experiences outside of my major. I was always excited to fulfill a GE requirement and made sure I took classes I would enjoy. The three that were the most impactful to me were Planet Earth with Dr. Greene, Astronomy with Dr. Walter, and Acting: Realism with Eleni. Each one left a lasting impact on me and after seeing how education is done elsewhere I have become even more grateful for that aspect of my Denison experience.
If you want the experience, there is enough work opportunity at Denison to make you feel as if you are working a full-time job (and an impactful one at that). Through my experience as a Red Corps Fellow and Community Advisor, I learned so much about what it is like to work collaboratively towards shared goals, cultivate community, directly work with community decision makers, and more.
My current role
After completing my master’s program in International Sustainability Management with ESCP, I began working as Business Development Manager for a Parisian climate tech startup; Kanop. We utilize proprietary AI and advanced satellite image selection to deliver impact data to forestry carbon project developers, and corporations engaging in greening their supply chains. The voluntary carbon market (VCM) has undergone much scrutiny over the past year and needs reliable transparent solutions, to display its actual impact, and that is where we come in!
My favorite part of the job so far has been going to conferences in the US and France and speaking with many impact driven individuals and business leaders.
Advice for Denison students
All the resources you need to learn and grow are made available to you at Denison, it is just a matter of taking advantage of them. If you truly want to learn, professors are available to answer your questions and support you. If you want to gain work experience, there are plenty of opportunities made available by Denison staff that are truly enriching. If you want to explore career opportunities, the Knowlton Center and the staff are very welcoming and can provide helpful insights.
Also, I recommend General Tso’s Tofu (extra broccoli) at Dragon Village :).
Applying for jobs can be very discouraging – sometimes it takes a lot of rejections before you find a truly worthwhile and enriching opportunity. Make sure you are applying for opportunities that excite you, otherwise you will experience burn out pretty quickly and if you do get the job you might not be too happy about it. Reach out to people that have had experiences that interest you and ask them how they got to where they are today and for advice (doing that is what led me to apply for a master’s program in Europe!)
