Jessica Warren ’14 graduated from Scripps with a major in Anthropology. She credits her time at Scripps as one of the defining places that influenced her interests and developed her critical thinking skills that lead her to her current position as a Research Associate at the Education Advisory Board in Washington, D.C. The Mellon Grant recipient and former Bridges Auditorium box office staff member spoke about how her positions large and small helped prepare her to succeed in the workforce.

Jessica one of over 1500 alumnae volunteers in Life Connections. Following is from an informational interview with CP&R Marketing Intern Shelby Wax ’16.

SW: Tell me about your time at Scripps. How did the environment impact you?

JW: I loved my time at Scripps. I really appreciated the way a women’s college and the Scripps curriculum prepared me to think critically about the world and take on leadership roles. I loved the supportive environment. It fostered my interests in ways that I followed things I didn’t initially want to pursue. And the Scripps network and security will always follow you. I actually am meeting with a Scripps friend for dinner this week and will meet with my former Anthro professor and mentor Claudia Strauss when she visits DC.

The nurturing environment at Scripps didn’t hold me back, but you have to know that, after college, you will have to take care of things on your own more and work with people from a lot of different places. Scripps made me a critical thinker, which made me courageous in a lot of ways.

SW: How did you choose your major?

JW: I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I came in. I originally thought I would pursue English and Writing. However Core got me interested in anthropology. The social theories we learned in core really helped me throughout my studies. Also my Core III class, Oral History, helped me discovered that I loved interviewing.

SW: How did your on-campus job at Bridges Auditorium impact you?

JW: Having a job where you work with others is really important in college. That’s a skill you need to learn. You are very independent in college and the office environment lends you to learning how to work on someone else’s schedule. Learning how to make connections is also important. To practice those work connections, participate in clubs or smaller jobs where you are working together and collaborating. Working with others can ground you. Employers expect that you will have to take on these kinds of jobs in college.

SW: What did you do with your time when you were unemployed after Scripps?

JW: End of senior year was stressful because I didn’t have a job. But most people I know didn’t like their jobs straight out of college. Don’t think other people have things down and you don’t. Just get started early and work a lot on your resume. I was interested in jobs in DC and I wasn’t in DC. If you have a city in mind, try to make connections while still in college. And if you have to do a temporary job right out of college, know that is still experience and it’s still good.

SW: Did you ever use CP&R’s resources while at Scripps?

JW: CP&R was a huge help for me. They have seen lots of my grant applications and resumes and helped me with re-writing. Reaching out to CP&R was a great way to bounce ideas of what I want to do. They even helped me after I graduated. When I was unemployed after my job at the Australian Embassy, CP&R helped me make the connections I needed.

SW: How did you get your current position at the Education Advisory Board?
JW: I heard about this job through a CMC friend who worked there. He knew I was interested in education so he referred me for the position. It was a quite a few months between applying and starting. Realize that you are going to apply for a job a few months in advance. If they haven’t gotten back in a month, you can send an email so you aren’t lost in a file somewhere. Never be afraid to ask your friends to connect you with jobs.

SW: What do you do at your job?

JW: I’m a research associate focusing on education. I work in short term custom research where I do 6-8 week research projects looking at issues that colleges are having in enrollment and faculty. There is bit of data analysis, but it’s mostly qualitative research. We find out what works at other schools and then provide advisory reports. I’m lucky that I can tailor my research to what I’m interested in. Recently, I wrote about transferring from community colleges. Scripps prepared me for this position through the focus on writing and by teaching me how to learn about a particular subject quickly.

SW: Is there any advice that you have for Scripps students?

JW: You probably won’t have your dream job, the first job you get. In fact, your dream job will change throughout your career. Find a job that you’re pretty interested in and people you like to work with. Find people who can help you learn and support you. Whatever job you get, you can make it work for you based on the people you are with.