Recent political science graduates
- Starting Careers
- Law School
- Pursuing Graduate Degrees
- Non-profits/NGOs
- Government Employees
- US Armed Services
Starting Careers
Sarah Berg ('06) is working for Keel Point, LLC, a private wealth management firm in the DC area.
Steven Buter ('06) works as a Local Government Management Fellow with the City of University Place, WA. The fellowship program is run by the International City-County Managers Association (ICMA).
Lauren Dillon('06) is the Communications Coordinator/Development Assistant for Sunshine Gospel Ministries located on the South side of Chicago.
Amber Flora-Holmquis ('06) received in 2007 a LLM in Human Rights and is working as a legal secretary for Hogan and Dean.
Linnea Minnema ('06) has been a Grants and Contracts Administrator for The University of Tennessee Sponsored Research Office since moving to Knoxville in august 2008.
Ryan Nickel ('06) works as an executive assistant for Catalist LLC, an IT consultant and data vendor for progressive organizations/campaigns, specializing in micro targeting and voter files.
Amanda Whitcomb ('06) is a technical writer and editor with GE Aviation in Grand Rapids, MI.
Stephen Capp ('07) works as a staff accountant for the Heritage Foundation.
Paul Davis ('07) is teaching in a First Nations community in Tadoule Lake, Manitoba in northern Canada. It is a fly-in community of just under 500 persons.
Megan Diekema ('07) is in Washington DC working as the Membership Assistant at the Direct Selling Association (DSA), the trade association and lobby for direct selling companies, such as Amway, Mary Kay, and Avon, among over 200 other companies.
Joel Kamstra ('07) is an Investment Advisor for Grubb and Ellis Paramont Commerce.
Lyndi Katje ('07) is an admissions counselor at Calvin College.
Heidi Smilde ('07) works as an Audit Associate for KPMG, an accounting firm in Orange County, CA.
Andrew Vlietstra ('07) works for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Jeremy Chacko ('08) is working at Yellowstone National park for the summer of 2008 and after that he is unsure of where he will be.
Nunana Nyomi ('08) is an Admissions Counselor at Calvin College.
Amanda Stek ('08) works as Research Associate for Calvin College's Center for Social Research.
Kristine Tuinstra ('08) is working for Alticor's Government Relations office in Washington D.C.
Catie Kawchak ("09) is working for the Washington office of Amway Corporation.
Joy Lee ('09) employed at the World Communion of Reformed Churches.
Students at Law School
James Ligtenberg ('06) started law school at Yale in the Fall of 2007.
William Lowery ('06) expects to finish law school at George Mason University in Arlington, Va. in May of 2010.
Luke McReynolds ('06) started Thomas M. Cooley Law School in the Fall of 2007.
Nathaniel Fischer ('07) in the Fall of '07 started the JD program at Harvard Law School.
Christine Holst ('07) is attending the University of Illinois Law School in Champaign-Urbana. She will graduate Spring 2010.
Melissa Rick ('07) is a first year law student at Boston University school of Law.
Clara Campbell ('08) moved to New York City to work for a few years and then to hopefully attend law school.
Todd LaForest ('08) starts Marquette University Law School in the Fall of '08.
Marlene VanderSpek ('08) starts law school at McGill University in Montreal,Quebec in the Fall of 2008.
Nate Knapper ('08) expects to starts Pepperdine Law School in the Fall of '08.
Bruce Van Baren ('09) Fall '09 started Pepperdine Law school.
Paul Gehm ("09) Attending Valparaison Law School with a dual degree in Psychology.
Pursuing Graduate Degrees
Philip Boonstra ('06) is a Masters student in the Department of Biostatistics at University of Michigan's School of Public Health.
Steven Buter ('06) plans to graduate May 2008 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Masters of Public Administration.
Josh Ghena ('06) will graduate Spring 2009 from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning. After graduation he will look for a job focusing on affordable housing.
Kathryn Hickok ('06) is a student at Grand Valley State University in the Masters of Social Work program.
Catie (Schierbeek) Hilbelink ('06) attends Michigan State University as a student working toward a masters in Public Policy. She is also working there as a graduate assistant.
Deborah Kwak ('06) expects to graduate in May 2009 with a Masters in Peace Studies from the Joan B. Krock Institute of International Peace studies, University of Notre Dame.
Faith Nguru ('06) in the fall of 2007 started at Loyola University Chicago as a MBA student.
Heather Van Mouwerik ('06) is a part-time post-graduate student studying the Russian language at the University of Washington.
Amanda Bruehl ('07) is pursuing a masters degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Non-Profit Management and Leadership at Grand Valley State University. Her expected graduation date is spring 2009.
Stephanie Vogelzang ('07) expects to graduate May 2010 with a masters at Yale Divinity School in Ethics. She is also interested in pursuing her PhD in American Politics.
Ellen Arrowsmith ('08) began serving in the Peace Corps in the summer of 2008. After the Peace Corps she plans to attend graduate school and pursue a joint masters in public policy and women's studies.
Austin Knuppe ('08) plans to travel and study in the Middle East in the Fall of 2008 to improve his Arabic. Upon returning he wants to take the foreign service exam with the state department and attend graduate school in security studies.
Andrew Ng ('08) plans to work 2 years (Fall 2008-Fall 2010)as a coordinator for international relations with the JET Programme, run by the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) in Japan. Then return to US for graduate school-ideally to be trained in journalism.
John Singleton ('08) in the Fall of 2008 starts the Denver's MA program in economics at the University of Colorado.
Amma Aboagye ("09) Fall '09 attending University of Warwick (UK) graduate School.
Astrid Callegro ('09) Started graduate school in International Relations at Webster University in Geneva, Switzerland.
Tom Heyboer ("09) Fall '09 began a one year graduate fellowship in Spain.
Rachel ('09) is enrolled in the Master of Public Policy program at Pepperdine University.
Non-profits/NGO
Matthew Anderson ('06) is a volunteer teacher with the Peace Corps in Nicaragua. He teaches business/productivity at various high schools.
Audra Groenendal ('06) works at Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place as a case manager in a housing-first permanent supportive housing program.
Suzanna Klaucke ('06) is the Communications Associate in Public Relations at the non-profit Save the Children based in Westport, CT.
Austin Graff ('07) works in the church mobilization department at the International Justice Mission in the Washington D.C. area.
Grace Miguel ('07) is a fellow for the Association for a Just Society, a Christian human rights NGO in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She works as the communications coordinator.
Abigail Rockey ('07) is participating in the Teach for America Corps program in Philadelphia.
Mary Stata ('07) is the Legislative Assistant for International Affairs for the Mennonite Central committee in Washington, DC. She monitors and analyzes legislation pertaining to Africa, HIV/AIDS, and militarism.
Amanda Stehle ('07) is working for Pittsburgh Cares as a program assistant for Business Cares - a program that has a mission of increasing regional partnerships through volunteerism. She coordinates the United Way Days of Caring along with working with the Pittsburgh Cares business partners.
Amy Van Nocker ('07) is living in Laos (thru Sept. '09) working with the Mennonite Central Committee.
Phillip Jackson ('08) will be spending 2009 in Egypt with the Mennonite Central Committee.
John Boumgarden ('08) is teaching with Teach for America in St Louis.
Kyla Vanderhart ('08) in October 2009 she began a year long internship with the International Justice Mission as a field office intern in Lusaka, Zambia.
Lerae Kroon ('09) works with the International Justice Missin in Guatemala.
Mischa McCray ('09) is a teacher for Teach of America.
Leanna Vandenende ('09) Fall '09 started with the Impact Poverty League in Burlington, Ontario.
Sarah Vester ('09) is working with Teach for America in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Brad Wassink ('09) works with Prison Fellowship Ministries.
Government Employees
Matthew Evans ('06) works as a constituent services representative for Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers.
James Schmidt ('06) works as a legislative director for Dana Rohrabacher, member of congress.
Jonathan Hirte ('08) is working in Washington D.C. in Vern Ehler's office as a legislative correspondent.
Kim Bulthuis ('09) Hopes to work in local government.
Maria Alinsao ('09) Fall '09 passed the Foreign Service exam and is exploring employment in Foreign Service.
Brette Davis ('09) Working in Washington D.C. for U.S. Representative Mark Kirk, a republican from Illinois, as a legislative correspondent.
U.S. Armed Services
