Students explore windy city careers

June 10, 2014

For years, the Ford School has hosted an annual student trip to Washington, DC, where Ford School students can learn more about careers in our nation's capital. This year, we added something new to the mix—a student trip to Chicago.

Only a short car or train ride away from Ann Arbor, Chicago boasts a growing number of Ford School alums, and a good number of interesting job opportunities, as well. We teamed up with the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Policy and Affairs to share resources and venues, and coordinated a series of career panels.

More than one dozen Ford School students joined the Chicago career exploration trip from Tuesday, May 20 through Thursday, May 22. During the day, students attended career panels with the American Institutes for Research, the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, the Cook County Administrator's Office, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and a number of other public and private sector organizations. On the evening of May 21, students enjoyed an evening of meeting and networking with Ford School and Humphrey School alumni at a reception at the Kerryman in downtown Chicago.

"It was a good opportunity to re-connect with Ford School students and also network with other people who work in the region," says Haven Allen (MPP '13), strategy manager for World Business Chicago.