Student Profiles
Political Science Major Focuses on Making Dream a Reality
“Like lots of kids, I grew up with dreams of saving the world,” says political science major William Brennan Thomas ’08. “But unlike most of those kids, I haven’t let those dreams die. I’ve dedicated myself to finding a way to make a difference.” Thomas came to UMass Amherst thinking the best avenue to accomplish his goal was to go into government and work on policy. Since then he has refined his plan. “I intend to go to a competitive law school, study international law and then get into policy making related to economic development or human rights violations on the international level. I see myself doing grassroots work with local governments and then working my way up to the top.”
Focus and interaction with professors, Thomas thinks, is the key to success at college. “I came to UMass Amherst because I wanted to attend a school where I could explore a variety of fields and be challenged by my courses. I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going with my major—or my life, for that matter—but I wanted to be certain that I wasn’t limiting my options.”
Thomas signed on as a political science major and accepted the department’s invitation to join TAP (Talent Advancement Program). TAP students live together, attend weekly seminars, and go on occasional field trips to orient them to the university and the diversity of available subjects. “It was one of the best things that could have happened to me both academically and socially,” he acknowledges. “I started freshman year automatically having something in common with everyone on my floor. I didn’t have to worry about searching among 18,000 undergrads for kids with similar interests. I simply had to go next door.” Thomas took advantage of the small classroom environment TAP provides, received lots of personal attention, and forged strong relationships with professors. “Their insight and advice, plus several courses on world politics,” says Thomas, “enabled me to refine my major, develop an economics minor, and engage in the classes most germane to my goals. This kind of focus makes college much more rewarding.”
This summer Thomas will be doing an internship for Cultural Survival, the leading U.S.-based international indigenous rights organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Interns are unpaid, but aside from being involved in all areas of the organization, he’ll also have lots of opportunities to interact with indigenous peoples, human rights activists, and scholars. And next year he will be spending the spring semester in England, taking additional courses toward his major at the University of Warwick in Coventry, which has a political science department-to-department exchange program. “I also expect to receive the International Relations Certificate,” he says. This “super minor” is part of UMass Amherst’s participation in the Five College interchange with Amherst, Hampshire, Smith and Mount Holyoke and enhances understanding of complex international processes from political, economic, social, cultural and environmental perspectives.
“UMass Amherst has proven to be a very rich academic environment,” Thomas attests. “Nearly every professor I have had has gone out of his or her way to meet me after class or answer any of my questions or concerns.” But he adds a note of caution: “Like any large school, you need to make the effort. It doesn’t fall in your lap. I have learned that there are resources to facilitate nearly anything you can imagine, but you have to take the initiative to find them.”
But all work and no play isn’t Thomas’s style either. “In high school I was very active, playing varsity hockey and lacrosse.” An Eagle Scout, he also was involved with the Model United Nations, Student Council, the music honor society, the Gay/Straight Alliance, and Venture Crew, the coed equivalent of Boy Scouts. “As soon as I got here,” Thomas says, “I became involved with the Outing Club. I’m an officer this year and lead hiking and backpacking trips throughout the year.” He also volunteers several hours a week at the Boltwood Project, an initiative in the Amherst community that works with people who have mental and physical disabilities, and manages an outdoor gear rental shop on campus “that rents everything from sleeping bags to cross-country skis.” And lest he have any time left on his hands, he has taken up racquetball and running.
The bottom line, according to Thomas: “UMass Amherst offers an excellent education at a competitive price, as well as an excellent opportunity to meet some incredible people.”
April 18, 2006
