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Past Featured Alumni

Position: Partnerships and Business Analytics at Doximity
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"My career path post-college wouldn't have been possible without the skills I learned studying political science. The political science major teaches you to thoroughly analyze issues from both a...

Position: Data Scientist, Civis Analytics
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"My degree prepared me for my position in too many ways to count. In my courses, I learned how to design thoughtful and robust research. I developed skills in coding and statistics to actually carry...

Position: Director of Marketing, Public Relations, and Grants at Xavier College Preparatory
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"My Political Science studies prepared me with the analytical thought process and essential life skills that have enabled me to succeed in multiple different roles in government, business, banking...

Position: Director Mergers, Acquisitions and Partnerships Boeing Defense, Space, and Security
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"Working in the Defense industry I draw upon my Poli Sci background on a daily basis."

"I lead inorganic activities and global partnerships for the Defense arm of Boeing Aerospace."

Position: Agency Development Manager, Google Marketing Solutions
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"The political science major taught me critical thinking, problem-solving, how to ​conduct in-depth research ​and analysis and, most importantly, strong public speaking and writing skills. These are...

Position: Administrative Officer/Local Representative and SF Rec and Park Commissioner
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"Everything I do is 'political'-- from representing workers as we advocate for fair work places to my 'side work' as an active Democrat and citizen activist in SF. The Mayor just appointed me to a 4...

Position: VP General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Sealaska Corporation
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"My political science major contributed to my interest and involvement in public policy priorities for my company. These priorities primarily relate to issues of importance to Alaska Natives and...

Position: Attorney - Partner
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"I use the critical thinking and writing skills that I learned as a poli-sci major every day. It is most helpful when I negotiate difficult provisions of an agreement, and when I have to explain...

Position: Global Director of Internal Communications, Facebook
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"My entire career until coming to Facebook was in politics and communications, which is what I studied at Stanford. My poli sci major helped start a career that ended me in a place that I really enjoy...

Position: Deputy General Counsel and Global Head of Public Policy, Getaround
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"Poli Sci gave me a solid foundation for my later study and practice in law, and helped accelerate my pre-Stanford interest and involvement in politics and public policy, which coalesced in my career...

Position: Barclays Investment Banking Associate
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"The quantitative and qualitative skills that I learned during my four years at Stanford have proven invaluable at every step of my career—but never more than now. The investment banking industry is...

Position: Director, Africa Practice, Albright Stonebridge Group
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"I use the critical thinking and writing skills I learned at Stanford daily in my previous and current line of work."

Consultant for major corporations, foundations, and NGOs interested in investing...

Position: Superintendent of Schools for the Wissahickon Public School District, Pennsylvania
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"My start in public education was as a high school U.S. history teacher, and political science was perfect training for fostering robust, interesting and insightful conversations with my students. Now...

Position: Managing Partner and City Councilmember
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"My degree in Political Science gave me a strong foundation into understanding the intended principles behind our government structure. In my career, I worked in, with and now serve in government...

Position: Assistant Professor
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"My decision to major in Political Science was, in many ways, an obvious one given my desire to pursue graduate study and a career as an academic. However, Stanford’s polisci program provided me with...

Position: Senior Manager of Social Impact at GitHub
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"My area of concentration in Political Science was Political Philosophy. It provided me with an in-depth, robust theoretical orientation to the work I do every day. Grappling with the roles of our...

Position: CEO
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"I didn't choose a career where I was able to apply my coursework directly, but the critical thinking and communication skills that I learned studying political science have been invaluable."

"I am...

Position: Executive Director, San Bruno Community Foundation
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"I have benefited from the analytical and communication skills I gained as a Political Science major throughout my career. As a creation of the San Bruno City Council, SBCF is a quasi-public entity...

Position: Investment Analyst, Education Technology at Emerson Collective
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"The Research Honors Track in the political science department helped me to develop critical thinking, quantitive and qualitative analysis, and problem solving skills that have been invaluable to my...

Position: President, Roeder-Johnson Corporation
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"Politics and my goals in my college years heavily inform the work I do every day. In the same way as I had hoped to change the world through politics, I work with companies to help find a way to...

Second Assistant Attorney General for Nevada
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"Stanford’s political science curriculum, in combination with world-class professors, provided me with great research, writing and critical analysis skills. Each served me well in law school and has...

Position: Legislative Director to Dianne Feinstein (c/o ‘55) and former Senior Counsel to Senator Cory Booker (c/o ‘91, M.A. ‘92)
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"At Stanford, my political science degree opened up my intellectual curiosity on the relationship between government and social change, which inspired me to ultimately pursue a career in public...

Position: Research Analyst at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C.
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Patrick graduated with honors in Political Science as part of the first cohort of the Research Honors Track program. He was the Firestone Medal recipient for his senior thesis, titled "Destined to...

Position: U.S. Foreign Service Officer, 1981-2013 (now retired)
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"A Stanford Political Science major, coupled with study at a Stanford Overseas Program, provided a superb intellectual foundation for a career in U.S. foreign policy. On top of this foundation I added...

Position: Retired from Accenture Federal Services - I.T. consulting
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"Political Science helped me to understand the roles of government agencies, their interactions with private companies and the values at stake in their activities."

"We developed and supported...

Position: Head of Communications
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The Political Science major prepared me for a career with many twists and turns.  It started with an internship in the White House Press Office where I leveraged my ability to research, write, and...

Position: Executive Director
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"Developing real estate requires HCHC to engage with both elected officials and stakeholders in the community. Homelessness and the lack of affordable housing in Los Angeles has become a big political...

Position: Teacher
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"My liberal arts education and political science degree have helped develop the kind of reading/writing/thinking skills that have served me well in this career as well as all other career explorations...

Position: Vice President of External Affairs, Peer Health Exchange
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"Studying Political Science built my ability to think critically, build consensus, and focus on what matters. I also learned that social change takes time, and that all effective social impact is...

Position: Litigation Fellow, ACLU National Prison Project
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"My political science degree prepared me well for my future legal studies. My courses in political science exposed me to a wide variety of topics within political theory, including, of course, justice...

Position: Executive Director, AZ Fair Housing Center
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"Stanford truly prepares you for a professional experience at the highest level of private and public sector challenges!"

"As a Stanford Political Science major, who also studied at the Stanford...

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With respect to writing and directing, the films I want to make have some tie to political science or public policy. My first film, Home, was about a man's struggle with mental illness. I’m writing my...

Position: Institutional Review Board Director
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"Political science is the study of institutional decision-making and of figuring out how to bring people with sometimes competing interests together to find solutions. My current career relies on...

Position: Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court
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"The major helped me develop the ability to spot and to analyze issues in order to solve 'real people' problems. The major also helped me to synthesize large amount of materials and complex...

Position: Associate, Global Strategy, Visa Inc.
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"My work transverses policy and business, and it requires strong intuition of what motivates people - regulators and clients in particular. I have worked on the ground in Russia and Angola, and have...

Position: Deputy Director of the Office of Credit Ratings at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
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"My Stanford Political Science major formed the foundation for my passion for public service and it provided me the framework to navigate public policy. As a student I was privileged to attend...

Position: CEO, Change.org
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"My PoliSci studies formed the foundation of the concept of Change.org: democracies suffer from the structural problem of concentrated vs. diffuse interests to the detriment of the public good, and by...

Position: Director of Communications, Santa Barbara City College and elected School Board Member for the Goleta Union School District
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"My Political Science major greatly contributed to my knowledge of complex policy issues, gave me the skills to tackle new policy areas, the best practices to handle difficult political situations...

Position: Managing Partner, OS Growth Partners, LLC
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"My Political Science major has been extremely helpful throughout my career. My studies helped me understand how the world operates and how events are often interconnected. This global perspective is...

Position: CEO/Founder
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"The lack of available credit to small businesses in Latin America was one of the big findings of my senior thesis. After graduating, I worked for 6 years for Root Capital helping provide access to...

Position: President, B.K. Kee Foundation
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"Myanmar is going through a once in a generation political transformation from authoritarian/military rule to an experiment in democracy. My Stanford political science education has been useful in...

Position: Editor in Chief of Wired Magazine
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"The books I read, and the critical thinking skills I learned, have helped me in every stage of my career as a journalist. I also spent several years writing a book—"The Hawk and the Dove: Paul Nitze...

Position: Specialist in Nuclear Weapons Policy
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"A graduate degree in public policy was a natural path for someone with an undergraduate degree in political science. But my career in nuclear weapons and arms control began at Stanford, in the...