Welcome, Alumni!Carly Thompson (2021)
Political Science Major
Current Position: Administration - Office Services and Hospitality at Larkin Hoffman
Duties: Legal record creation, circulation, and retention, sorting and distribution of incoming and outgoing legal documents, RE and Business Litigation binder printing, organizing, and tabbing, conference room supply and A/V setup for mediations, depositions, Board, Shareholder, and legal department meetings, Firm catering coordination for central office (Minneapolis) and Government Relations office (St. Paul), legal administrative support for the departments of Tax & Estate, Patent & Trademark, Corporate, Franchise, Real Estate Litigation, Land Use, Bankruptcy, Business Litigation, Employment & Labor, etc.
Advice for students: Study complex political concepts by "teaching" them to someone who is less involved in politics. If they are able to comprehend a concept from your explanation alone, chances are you'll be able to nail a short-answer exam question. If they have follow-up questions that you struggle to answer, focus your studies there in preparation for the exam. (Shout out to Dr. Simer for this study tip!). Also, utilize the resume-strengthening resources offered by UWRF Career Services. A classmate in Career Services helped draft the resume that secured me jobs in both retail management and legal administration less than two years after graduation! Thank you, Gina!
Isaac Russell (2009)
Political Science and History Majors
Current Position: Government Relations Director for Allianz Life
Isaac ran for St. Paul City Council in Ward 3 this past spring. Angela Davis of MPR had Isaac as a guest on her recent broadcast, "In Focus: Breaking the Cycle: How to stop violence before it starts and break the cycle of trauma" with a focus on St. Paul. A recording is available at https://www.mprnews.org/shows/angela-davis/2
Sara Lynorre (Deick) (2009)
Political Science Major, GIS and Music Minors
Current Position: Instructional Technologist for Geospatial and Data Services at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN
Duties: I train students, staff, and faculty to use technology for research projects. While my specialty is GIS and mapping, I've also worked on projects that involve image annotation, AR/VR tech, and data visualization or design. Typically, I work in consultations or go into classes and teach training demos.
Aside from research projects, I also work with faculty on developing new digital assignments and how to structure those assignments for courses. Throughout the year, I may work with a variety of departments across campus that may be just starting out with GIS, doing advanced analysis, or using GIS for story telling purposes. Here are some of the examples I've created for class training sessions.
After graduation, I always knew that I eventually wanted to go to graduate school, but wanted to work and take a break for a couple years. I worked at Half Price Books - and eventually started the GIS Masters program at St. Mary's University of Minnesota. Since the school had evening classes, I was able to work full time and go to grad school full time. In 2014, I graduated with a Master of Science in Geographic Information Science (MSGIS) with an emphasis in homeland security. I worked for a software start up company in Ohio for a few years as a GIS analyst, but also spent that time participating in customer support, project management, and UI design portions of the business. In 2018, I moved back to Minnesota and started working at St. Olaf College.
Advice for students: Be open to new experiences! You may have an idea of the career/job that you want to pursue, but sometimes you have to take a circular route or try unrelated jobs in order to gain work experience. Skills that you learn in unrelated jobs may come in handy in your desired path in life. Also, don't give up on the hobbies and activities you love to do in your free time! Working, networking, and taking on new opportunities can help advance your career but make sure to take a break once in a while and do something that you enjoy. It can help to get past those days that are overwhelming and stressful!
The Alumni Spotlight features UWRF Geography, GIS, International Studies, Political Science and/or Pre Law alumni working in their areas of study or a related field. Stories may be published on our department web page or in our annual newsletter.
Would you like to participate?
Please submit the following to pgis@uwrf.edu:
- Name
- Graduation Year
- Major / Minor
- Current Position
- How did you get there?
- Advice for students
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