Education

McDaniel College

B.A., Political Science and International Studies

2013

Podcasts

45:06

80: What It’s Like to Be an NGO Policy Advisor w/ Emily Schaefer, Mercy Corps [Main T4C episode]

Emily Schaefer is a Policy Advisor at the global humanitarian and development organization, Mercy Corps. But that was far from her first job at Mercy Corps. In 2013, Emily got her foot in the door as an intern on the Policy and Advocacy team. Following her internship she got another..

Career Path

Interview Highlights

“I was asked to write memos on all kinds of things, so it was really intellectually stimulating, which was a welcome change. I was completely thrown out of my comfort zone, but I was really enjoying it because I felt like I was doing things that were valuable to the team.”

Best Career Advice

“The interview process is really important and I think that’s really a good way for you to ask questions and for you to figure out what the day to day looks like because a hiring manager should be able to tell you what your day is going to look like.”

Career Challenge

“The hardest part is wrapping your head around all of these issues. I cover a broad range of issues, and a lot of them are things that I never thought I would be working on ever. So learning and getting up to speed and being able to sound remotely intelligent in a meeting, takes a lot of work and it takes a lot of preparation and it takes a lot of willingness to know that you’re not the smartest person in the room.”

Skills

Research, Editing, Social Media, Blogging, Community Outreach, International Relations, Nonprofits, Customer Service, Fundraising, Public Speaking, Event Planning

Professional Interests

U.S. Department of State, McDaniel College, CIEE Council on International Educational Exchange, Mercy Corps Global Internship Alumni Group, The Phi Beta Kappa Society, CIEE Alumni Global Network