Four CPPA alumni who work on educational issues in Springfield, Mass., offered current students tips on how to build successful careers working for social change.
Nancy DeProsse (‘06), a union representative with the Massachusetts Teachers Association; Maura Geary (‘07), director of literacy initiatives with the Hampden County Regional Employment Board; Molly Goren-Watts (‘07), a principal planner at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission; and Joseph Wyman (‘06), the data fellow at the Springfield Public Schools, spoke last week during a panel titled “Perspectives on Educational Change: CPPA Alumni Experiences in Springfield.”
They all agreed that it pays to use strategically the experiences students have in graduate school, especially an internship. During her internship at the Springfield-based Davis Foundation, for example, Geary accompanied the executive director to every meeting she could.
“I learned who was who and how everyone worked together,” Geary said. As a result, when she graduated a year later, she already had strong contacts in the area where she knew she wanted to work.
But strategic thinking shouldn’t end once you’ve accepted a job. All of the alumni speakers said it is critical to look at the challenges or problems you’re facing and figure out not only what you would like to change, but what is possible to change. And change will only come about, they agreed, through communication and collaboration.
“If you don’t have a relationship, nothing else matters,” said Wyman, adding that being trustworthy is also key.
The process of social change is slow, they said. But if you are committed to the cause and make an effort to develop strong personal relationships with others who are also working on the same issues, change can and will come. Keeping your own outlook positive doesn’t hurt, either. Likewise, Wyman said, when you’re collaborating with others, “Make it easy for them to say yes.”