At the first Whig-Clio Careers in Government Day, 17 members of Princeton’s American Whig-Cliosophic Society headed to Washington, D.C. on Friday, April 11 for a day filled with conversations with public servants on Capitol Hill.
The trip included meeting with four Princeton alums, as well as spontaneous run-ins with influential Capitol Hill figures, including former United States Attorney General Bill Barr, who students bumped into when visiting Mike Fragoso ’06 during a quiet day at Torridon Law, Barr’s law firm.
“You could tell he was kind of surprised to see just a bunch of college students in suits, just walk into the office,” Whig-Clio President Samuel Kligman ’26 told The Daily Princetonian in an interview. “It wasn’t a very long interaction, but it was pretty cool. I think it gave the students a taste of what it’s like working in D.C., just kind of serendipitously running into very important people and very impactful individuals.”
The idea for Careers in Government Day was first introduced in the fall, shortly after Kligman assumed his role as President of the Upper Governing Council. Hoping to reenergize Whig-Clio membership and offer an opportunity to engage civically beyond campus, he envisioned a career-focused event centered on public service. Kligman tapped Aarnav Sheth ’28, a fellow member of the Whig-Clio Governing Council, to take that vision and shape it into a Capitol Hill-centered career day.
To organize the event, Sheth leveraged what Kligman referred to as the “power of Tigernet,” an online platform that allows members of the Princeton community to access alumni contact information.
“It’s one thing to send an invite through the standard communications office that every single member of Congress receives all their invitations and correspondence from. But it’s another thing to leverage that Princeton connection,” Kligman said.
A couple hundred emails later, Sheth landed on a group of speakers serving in various positions, and at various points in their public service careers. The speakers engaged students in discussions about their experiences on the Hill, the job search process, and advice for breaking into a public service career.
In January, the Trump administration instituted a federal hiring freeze which prohibited any new or vacant positions from being filled, and set off widespread layoffs. While the administration’s directives do not impact employment in Congress, the changes have created broader uncertainty about employment prospects in Washington.
Kligman said that speakers didn’t directly address the hiring freeze, but that his takeaway was that “it’s kind of always competitive to get a job on the Hill.”
Sheth emphasized the importance of networking and developing personal relationships in attaining jobs in D.C. “Life on Capitol Hill is much more about the people than anything else,” Sheth said.
Students first met with Tammy Phan ’22, Deputy Legislative Director of Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) and other members from her team. They gained insight into the behind-the-scenes work of supporting a congresswoman, including policy development and messaging to constituents.
Adam Vu ’28 told the ‘Prince’ that it was impactful to hear about Phan’s experiences, since Phan is Vietnamese-American, like Vu.
“Because of the way I grew up, I see [public service work] as a closed pathway, and it was only [at Princeton] where I’m considering options other than engineering, other than pre-med, other than pre-law,” Vu said. “It was really inspiring to see just someone like me in a position that I can see myself in the future.”
Students then spoke with Madeleine Marr ’21, a Legislative Assistant for Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), about navigating the congressional job market after Princeton.
Marr gave students advice about the application process, how to break into working in Congress, and also told them about life in D.C.
“It makes you realize how possible everything is,” Sheth said. “Once you get here, it’s really easy to get stressed out and get worried about job prospects,” but seeing the work of the alumni was motivating.
“[Marr] gets to work on those issues that mean a lot to her,” Bella Postel ’28 told the ‘Prince.’ “[That is what] inspired me to get involved with very specific areas of policy and start exploring: What are some things that I like?”
At Princeton, Marr majored in Politics, and earned certificates in Urban Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies. She currently works on legislative issues including housing and community development.
Meagan Reed GS ’15, an attorney and government professional, told students about the many roles she’s had on Capitol Hill, including as a policy analyst in the Office of Management and Budget and a Legislative Assistant for Senator Bernie Sanders.
Students ended the day by visiting Fragoso, a partner at Barr’s law firm.
For many participants, the trip provided a meaningful opportunity to reflect on their future aspirations and the diverse routes that could lead them there.
“They gave us the real answers about the difficulty that comes with it, the stresses and the challenges that can come with the day in and day out of the job. But they talked about how uniquely rewarding it is,” Lael Laing ’28 said.
Kligman and Sheth hope that the Whig-Clio Careers in Government day will become a recurring event every semester.
“All of the people that we met there expressed interest in continuing these relationships that I was able to build, and that’s super valuable,” Sheth said. “As long as I can continue to get support from Whig-Clio and Princeton, I would foresee this program continuing to grow.”
“Having very well-defined events whose sole purpose is encouraging students to look at career pathways in public service would have made a very big difference for me [as an underclassmen],” Kligman said. “And I hope it makes a very big difference for current and future Princetonians.”
Elisabeth Stewart is a senior News writer and assistant News editor emeritus for the ‘Prince.’ She typically covers religious life, student identity and campus life, and eating clubs and co-ops.
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