First Person: Dietrich College Students Take Inaugural Humanities Career Trek to D.C.

A group of CMU undergraduates immerse themselves in the nation's capital, connecting with professionals and gaining real-world insights into careers in the humanities.

By Allison Blair and Kaya Kozlowski, Department of English undergraduate students

Seventeen students from Carnegie Mellon University’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences traveled to Washington D.C. Feb. 9–10 as part of an inaugural Humanities Career Trek. 

Dietrich College’s Student Success Center organized the networking opportunity along with Career and Professional Development Center consultants Beth Jameson and Katie Flanigan.

The goal of the trek was to give humanities students the opportunity to explore and begin to connect with the wide variety of career opportunities that await them after they finish their time at CMU. 

“Opportunities to network with alumni like this are so important for students because they provide greater insight into potential career paths, particularly areas that they may not have previously considered,” said Kim Piatt, director of experiential learning in Dietrich College.

The group took a charter bus to the nation’s capital the morning of Sunday, Feb. 9. After arriving, students had time to rest and explore the area before heading to a night walking tour of the National Mall.

On Monday, Feb. 10, students began the day by visiting IBM’s Innovation Center and touring the facilities before participating in a Q&A talkback session with CMU humanities alumni, including Lindsay Elliott-Foose (DC 2014). Following the visit to IBM, the group headed off to the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology’s Washington Center, where they had the opportunity to learn more about the Washington Semester Program and chat with more humanities alumni over lunch.

Students met with Jess Anders (DC 2009), Lara Bach (DC 2014), Anna Lorch (DC 1997) and Aaron Satyanarayana (DC 2022). The day concluded with a tour of the National Portrait Gallery led by Rhys Conlon (CMU 2001), the museum’s head of publications and a graduate of the Bachelor of Humanities and Arts program at CMU.

The 17 Dietrich College students at the National Portrait Gallery in front of a portrait of Andrew Carnegie. 

I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to go on the first-ever Humanities Career Trek.

Not only did this trek provide me with great opportunities for networking, but it also was a fantastic opportunity to get to know some of my fellow humanities students that I may have never had the chance to meet otherwise.

From the second we all got on the bus on Sunday morning, I could tell it was going to be a great experience. All of us were filled with excitement to visit the capital and explore the limitless possibilities of our futures.

Once we arrived in Washington D.C., we had free time to go get a bit to eat or just explore the area. Fellow trek members Kaya Kozlowski, Emily Manack and I wandered around just taking in the D.C. sites and sights. The group tour of the National Mall was beautiful, albeit it was somewhat chilly. Seeing the iconic landmarks lit up is an image I will never forget.

While visiting the host sites, I was struck by how many different positions and roles the alumni had, from federal consultants to careers in marketing and publications. Those we met from IBM, the CMU Washington Semester Program and the National Portrait Gallery were all extremely welcoming and really took their time to connect with us. All of the alumni were incredibly helpful in providing insight into how versatile a humanities degree can be. If I had to pick a highlight out of our various networking opportunities, the visit to the National Portrait Gallery is the first thing that comes to mind, as it aligned the most with my career aspirations in relation to the arts and creative fields.

I am truly so thankful to have been able to go on this trek and to have gotten the chance to meet with all of the amazing alumni! 

Before going on this trek, I had little knowledge of what a humanities degree could offer. As a first-generation college student from a more working-class background, there are some aspects of college and the professional world at large that I am generally unaware of. The Carnegie Mellon alumni at IBM we spoke to were successful technology consultants with humanities backgrounds, specifically, which was such a shock to me, as I had the misconception that tech and the humanities are fundamentally opposite.

Additionally, I often struggle with making professional connections; however, now that I had the opportunity to connect with professionals in DC — with our experiences at CMU as a personable “in” to the conversation — I feel more confident in both seeking and making meaningful relationships with possible mentors. Speaking with all of the alumni who graciously gave us their time has also led me to look into possible careers in grant writing, speechwriting and marketing, all of which I was either unaware of or only vaguely informed.

That all being said, although the trek lasted only 48 hours, I am extremely grateful for the trek and all the insight it has given me into possible future careers;

while I may not end up a consultant or a museum professional, I feel endlessly more well-equipped to explore any and all possibilities that may come my way.