On Tuesday, Oct. 23, current graduate students and alumni of the Department of Agriculture and Economic Resources (AREC) met at Clyde’s Restaurant in the District of Columbia to discuss life after grad school.
The graduate students who attended had the opportunity to meet esteemed alumni and hear about the work they do in their respective fields. The alumni hold positions at a variety of companies, including the U.S. Government Accountability Office, EY (Ernst & Young), the USDA and the University of Maryland.
Graduate student Tianqi Gan organized the event for the second year in a row. This year, there were around 20 graduate students and alumni in attendance.
“I think the dinner was great,” Youpei Yan, a student who was at the dinner, said. “I met several alumni working for the government and spent some time talking with one of them in particular. I would love to attend this type of event more in the future.”
Andrew Rosenberg, another AREC student, believes that alumni events are especially useful for learning about work outside of academics. Talking with recent graduates brings him one step closer to his future goal of using data analysis in the environmental policy field.
One alumna at the event was Elina Page, an Agriculture Economist for the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service. Her current research focuses on the relationship between food safety information and demand, specifically household consumption behavior in response to food product recalls.
“It’s always a pleasure to speak and share my experiences with current students,” Page said. “I hope that doing so provides some guidance and clarity as students navigate degree completion and the daunting, looming job market.”
Page discussed her current position at the USDA, how she reached this point in her life and the major differences between graduate school and the world of employment.
The department would like to thank all the alumni who attended the fifth annual dinner and made it so special for the graduate students!
