UWiL and School of Public Policy Students Spend Spring Break Networking in NYC

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A group of students from UMass Women into Leadership (UWiL) and the School of Public Policy spent part of their spring break in New York City, visiting the United Nations and the Alliance for Downtown New York, meeting with UMass Amherst alumnae and learning about career opportunities in the public service field. 

“It is so important for our students to visit the places where they hope to one day work,” said Michelle Goncalves, executive director of UWiL and a School of Public Policy alumna. “It helps them to actually see themselves there, and it allows them to interact with staff who can provide an ‘insider perspective’ about how the organization functions and how they got to where they are.”

About 20 graduate and undergraduate students from the two programs took part in the day-long trip, which began with a visit to the Alliance for Downtown New York, the organization that manages the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District. Heather Ducharme ’16, director of storefront business engagement at the alliance and a UWiL alumna, met with the students to talk about its work providing services and policy advocacy for the neighborhood. 

From there, the group headed to a lunch meeting with Ducharme and two other UMass Amherst alumnae, Karen Maher ’05, director of capital plan management for the New York City School Construction Authority and a member of UWiL’s board of directors, and Diana Fassbender ’03, another UWiL board member and partner and director of development at The Arena, a nonprofit that trains and supports future political candidates and campaign staff. 

“A special part of our visit was meeting with alumni who work in a range of positions in New York City,” Goncalves said. “The UMass alumni network is a strong one, and their support is key in making field trips like this possible.”

In the afternoon, the UWiL and SPP students went to the United Nations. “Most, if not all, of the students had never visited the United Nations before,” said Satu Zoller, associate director at the School of Public Policy. “It was exciting to be there during the U.N.’s annual Conference on the Status of Women and also to learn about the fascinating career opportunities at the U.N.”

During their visit, the students met with Fabrice Houdart, a human rights officer who spoke about his role cowriting the U.N. Corporate Standards of Conduct for Business, an LGBTI corporate social responsibility initiative, and about his work to reduce human rights violations of people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity in Africa. Houdart has also worked with Lee Badgett, professor of public policy and economics, on research on the economic consequences of discrimination against LGBTI people.

In addition, the students met with Kristèle Younes, deputy head of office in Syria in the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, for a conversation about her professional path and the realities of working in humanitarian work. After the meetings, the group toured the U.N.

Alex Plowden, a student in SPP’s Master of Public Policy program, described the visit to the United Nations—his first—as “an awe-inspiring experience.”

“I went on the trip because I was very excited to meet with U.N. officials who had dedicated themselves to such important causes, like Fabrice Houdart, who works on LGBTI rights around the globe,” Plowden said. “It provided me with a peek inside the life of United Nations officials and made me even more motivated to get involved in international issues.”

“I was excited to visit the U.N. and gain a chance to talk with officers who are involved in humanitarian affairs,” said Esther Oh, a UWiL participant, biochemistry and molecular biology major, and student in SPP’s 4+1 Master of Public Policy program. “I am interested in pursuing a career which involves improving human rights to raise the quality of life of people, so as a student who is very new in this field, it was great that I got to meet those professionals and learn about their work.”