BPS Sophomores Discover the Many Faces of Public Service
By Rebecca Goldfine
In packed days that began at 8:00 a.m. and ended at 9:00 p.m., students raced through the streets and buildings of the capital city to meet with many alumni working in DC, as well as with Bowdoin parents and others open to talking with policy-minded college students.
Noa Nasoff ’28, a government and environmental studies major, was impressed with the access and reception she and her peers received. “I felt like a celebrity! Behind locked doors at the Supreme Court, I had to pinch myself and ask, 'Am I dreaming?' I had no idea that we had this many connections. It made me think about the reach of the Bowdoin alumni network.”
The itinerary this year included stops at the US Department of the Treasury, US Department of State, and the offices of Maine's congressional delegation—Representative Chellie Pingree, Senator Angus King, and Senator Susan Collins. Students not only visited the the Supreme Court but also the US District Court for the District of Columbia, Congressional Budget Office, Pentagon, NPR, PBS NewsHour, Peace Corps, and Pew Research Center.
“I felt like a celebrity! Behind locked doors at the Supreme Court, I had to pinch myself and ask, 'Am I dreaming?' I had no idea that we had this many connections. It made me think about the reach of the Bowdoin alumni network.”
—Noa Nasoff ’28
Sheahan and Fyffe started working with Van Damme in September to plan the seminar and trip. Once they arrived in DC, they navigated the city to deliver the cohort to each appointment, helped ensure the students were prepared for every meeting, and led reflections on the day’s activities in the evening.
Two of the many highlights of their time in DC, they said, were a dinner with recent Bowdoin graduates, organized by Sheahan, and a meeting with Judge James E. Boasberg P’22 of the US District Court for the District of Columbia. Boasberg, despite being very busy, gave the students a short lecture on the court system and invited them to tour his chambers.
They also noted how generous alumni were with their time and how eager they were to meet students and talk about life after Bowdoin and committing one's career to service.
“One of the biggest takeaways from the DC trip for me was how dedicated everyone is to their work,” Sheahan said. “Each person we spoke with, whether they were in government, NGOs, lobbying, consulting, or law, was excited to speak with us about the work they were doing.”
Wendy Van Damme, who leads BPS for the McKeen Center, said the mission of the program remains the same as when former Ambassador Thomas Pickering ’53, H’84, first helped launch it at Bowdoin in 2017: "To have students experience public service careers and hear from a wide range of people at different points in their professions who are embodying public service in myriad ways.”
Ruby Fyffe ’26, one of BPS's two student leaders, said the cohort was impressed not only by the diversity of public service, but also by how varied job trajectories can be. “Students really got to see how far and wide Bowdoin alumni end up in their careers, and how they are constantly changing their paths.”
The program is both nonpartisan and broad, with a mission to include voices from across the government, both in Maine and in DC. To this end, BPS added two new stops this year: the Pentagon (after being invited by an outreach director there) and the Supreme Court. “We want to show students all kinds of ways one can serve,” Van Damme said.
Students in the program are selected based on their qualifications, interest in public service, and the perspectives they can bring to the experience. This was part of the reason Nasoff first got interested. “A program trying to create a cohort of students with diverse backgrounds was appealing to me,” she said. “I wanted to interact with other students with different insights than I have.”
Before each meeting with an alumnus or offiicial—in both DC and in Maine—a student in the cohort was asked to research them and write up a briefing for their peers. These included possible questions, although all of the students were encouraged to independently come up with things to ask.
“A lot of people have given to me and my family, especially when we first came. I have a need to give back.”
—Sumaya Abdulle ’28
Van Damme praised this year's group for coming up with challenging, well-researched queries—always expressed politely.
Though Sumaya Abdulle ’28, a government and math major, initially had a hard time envisioning herself asking powerful people tough questions, she said the seminar prepared her to keep up her nerve. In the group's conversation with Maine Senator Susan Collins in the grand Senate Committee on Appropriations room, Abdulle asked about the longtime senator's history of supporting the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which gives Congress the authority to declare war and not the president.
“I said, 'You have a history of voting in favor of the War Powers Resolution, for example when it came to Venezuela recently. I’m wondering what changed your position when it came to Iran? Can you tell me your thought process?'"
She added, “And this took a lot of workshopping and practice! Because I didn’t want to seem like I was disrespecting her role.”
Van Damme commended both Maine senators—Collins and King—for the amount of time they spent with students and for engaging in frank discussions. “It made me feel we are in a state where we have real leaders who want to connect with young people and constituents, who welcome challenging questions, and who answer them well.”
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Noa Nasoff ’28 was appointed the unofficial social media manager for the DC trip, capturing lots of fun moments with her unique sense of humor and joy.
Abdulle, who was born in Somalia and moved to Portland, Maine, when she was ten, said she joined BPS because she wants to have a career helping people and supporting communities. “A lot of people have given to me and my family, especially when we first came,” she said. “I have a need to give back.”
Growing up in Las Vegas, Ben Vinocur ’28 said he applied to BPS because his parents always encouraged him and his brother to pay attention to politics. If they didn't like something, they were told to get involved and do something about it. “I want to serve my country, as corny as that might sound!” he said. “And this program is a great way to learn how to break into those career paths.”
Vinocur said the week in DC inspired him, especially seeing so many young alumni pursuing meaningful careers. “I'm excited to see how open the process is” to get involved in the country's government, he said.
“I thought it was closed previously, but it was comforting to see how many young people are working as aides and staffers, and how available those positions are. As long as you take the first jump, it's possible you can land there.”