The following blog post comes from Christy Robinson, a former Bryce Harlow Foundation Fellow. Ms. Robinson is currently an analyst at Matrix Global Advisors, a Washington, DC-based economic policy consulting firm. She graduated from George Mason University with a master’s in public policy and was named a Bryce Harlow Fellow in 2012.
Pursuing a graduate degree in public policy while working full-time is a challenge, to say the least. In light of this, I was surprised by the dearth of scholarships and fellowships for which I was eligible as a part-time graduate student. At times, I wondered melodramatically if I were being punished for working while getting my master’s degree. Then I found the Bryce Harlow Foundation.
Offering financial and professional support to part-time graduate students who work full-time, the Foundation displays appreciation and sensitivity for the rigorous schedule a Bryce Harlow Fellow maintains. Fortunate enough to be selected as a Fellow for the 2012-2013 academic year, I found it immensely helpful and reassuring to have the availability of resources – networking lunches, happy hours, mentoring, and more – without the pressure to engage beyond my ability. Profoundly grateful for the Foundation’s support, I was also appreciative of the confidence they placed in me to make of the Fellowship what I would. As a result, I attended as many events as I could and developed a wonderful mentoring relationship with the board member who was my assigned mentor.
If anything could make me want to keep going to graduate school now that I’ve completed my program, being able to remain a Bryce Harlow Fellow would be at the top of the list. Fortunately, I can stay engaged with the Foundation as an alumna and leave my textbooks on the shelf.
