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AMANDA SONNEBORN (‘99) was born into a “very political” Springfield family, and she interned in the General Assembly while still in high school. Her decision to major in political science grew from this early interest in politics and her long-held plans to go to law school. She argues that great value of a political science degree is that it “helps an individual understand complex systems and personal interactions in a way that’s strategic.”
Ms. Sonneborn is a partner at a Chicago-area law firm specializing in employment law, and she also works as an adjunct professor at a Chicago-area law school. She suggests students “carefully think about becoming a lawyer” given the costs of law school and the job opportunities available, and recommends that they attend symposia on graduate and professional school and other career options.
While in college, Sonneborn urges students to “get close to a professor or two.” That relationship helps students “enjoy what they’re doing and get more in depth with a topic.”
Ms. Sonneborn can be reached at asonneborn@seyfarth.com.
MEREDITH WIECK (¹09) works as a Feature Film Executive in the production and development department at Lionsgate, an entertainment studio based in Los Angeles, California. She began college as a psychology major, but in the second semester of her freshman year, she took an introductory class in political science, “fell in love with it,” and decided to make it her second major.
Her work entails reading scripts and other submissions in search of potential movie projects. Many people in her industry went to film school, but Wieck feels that “having a different degree from social sciences is a huge, huge asset.” As she puts it, “Reading books or scripts and having to concisely and articulately explain the book to someone that hasn’t read it is a central part of the job, and it is one of the skills students learn as part of the political science major.”
Her advice to students is to take advantage of office hours. Students need to be “making sure the professor knows who you are, no matter how big the class is. Unless you’re making connections with professors and classmates then it¹s very hard to come away from school with knowledge beyond what you learned from the textbooks.”
In talking about jobs after college, she observes that “It’s much harder now than it was probably 15 years ago to come out of college and get the perfect (and well-paying) job. Pretty much everyone changes careers, which is very different than previous generations so as a result, the connections, experiences, and skills one gains at the U of I are central to future success.”
Ms Wieck can be reached at meredith.wieck@gmail.com.
MICHELLE (EACK) MORA (‘11) entered college through the general curriculum program (a forerunner to the Division of General Studies) with hopes of studying business and going to law school. After exploring the curriculum a bit, she followed her heart to political science and Latin American Studies. During her time in the department, she was a participant in the Political Science Honors Program, which culminates in a senior thesis. Michelle calls the thesis the hardest thing she had done in her life to that point, but was very glad she pursued it.
After graduation, Michelle worked for several years for Caterpillar Inc. as a technical recruiter in Latin America. She then returned to school to pursue an M.A. at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. As part of that program, she held a series of different jobs and internships, including stints as a labor markets researcher for Talent Beyond Borders (a non-profit that helps refugees to identify their job skills and match them with companies needing skilled workers), a foreign commercial service intern at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and as a research assistant at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies.
Michelle’s advice for current students is to look at the class lists without regard to the specific major, and be aware of which topics students are drawn to organically. Says Michelle, “You will always be happier and more successful working in something that complements your interests and strengths. Even if you cannot immediately see the application to a specific career, keep moving towards your natural interest step-by-step and it will fall into place. This is the time to be bold!”
Ms Mora can be reached at michelle.eack@gmail.com.
WILLIAM BILLEAUD (’85) is an international business executive. He is the President of Lombard Global, Incorporated, which provides investment banking and management consulting services to companies looking to expand their global presence.
When he first came to the University of Illinois, Bill thought he would follow in his father’s footsteps and become a general practice lawyer. During his time in the department, though, he found that he really enjoyed classes on comparative (international) politics, history and economics. This led him to consider international business and/or law as career focus. Upon graduation, he pursued an introductory career as a stockbroker, which took off on a positive note and led him to add an international MBA in St. Louis. Since then he has pursued a very rewarding, challenging and progressively high-level international business career.
Bill argues that, given its focus on critical thinking, writing, and data analysis, political science provides an excellent background for pursuing a career in business. He especially recommends that students interested in such a path develop a strong grounding in high-level statistical and predictive skills, people interaction skills and that they cultivate a global mindset.
Bill’s best email address is bill@lombardglobal.com, can also be texted at 214-675-5539 via his mobile or via his LinkedIn profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/williambilleaud.
SARA CLINE-HOWLAND (‘10) was interested in history and politics while in high school, and a major in political science seemed like a natural fit. While at the U of I, she became President of her sorority and of the Panhellenic Council, and was a participant in the Civic Leadership Program.
After graduation, Sara worked as a consultant for a time, and is now is in the healthcare field, serving as a process improvement leader at Northwestern Memorial Healthcare in Chicago. She feels that her background in political science prepared her very well for her career, and argues that “being inquisitive, trying to get to the root cause of issues, developing [a] work ethic and understanding how to accomplish tasks in a time sensitive manner…” are traits of all political science majors, regardless of their career goals.
To make the most of the time students have at the University and in the Department of Political Science, Sara urges them to “think critically about which courses you take and treat the credits you have left as extremely precious – try to make the most of them and take interesting classes.” She also recommends that students get to know their professors, who can be great resources for them even after graduation.
Ms Cline-Howland can be reached at sara.c.howland@gmail.com.
DAVID ADELEYE (’14) has spent the past few years working in multiple advisory roles within the Obama Administration at the White House and Department of Homeland Security. During his time at the University of Illinois, David was very involved on campus and held several leadership positions. He has also served as a mentor, both formally and informally, for a number of individuals pursuing political science and careers in public policy.
Mr. Adeleye can be reached via his website www.davidadeleye.com.
WENDY NETTER EPSTEIN (‘99) entered the University of Illinois intending to go the “pre-med” route. However, when she started classes, she quickly learned that she enjoyed political science the most, and decided to combine her interests by pursuing a career in health policy and law.
During her time in the Department of Political Science, Wendy particularly enjoyed her participation in the honors program and in small classes that changed her approach to scholarship. She argues that there is “no magic formula” for success in college and in one’s career, but encourages students to work on their writing and leadership skills.
After graduating with honors and earning a place on the Bronze Tablet, Wendy went on to earn a J.D. at Harvard Law School and then clerked for a federal judge and worked for several years in commercial litigation, rising to partner at a major law firm. She is currently a professor at DePaul University College of Law, where she also serves as faculty director of the Mary and Michael Jaharis Health Law Institute.
LARRY HARRIS, JR. (‘15) has always had an interest in government and foreign affairs, and that led him to the Department of Political Science. During his time as a student here, he had a number of great experiences in classes and extra-curricular activities, but points to his study abroad in Vienna, Austria (in a program led by Professor Vasquez) as “life-changing.”
In his senior year, Mr. Harris was accepted into the very prestigious Charles B. Rangel Fellowship program, designed to prepare recent college graduates for careers in the U.S. Foreign Service. He is currently enrolled in a Master of Arts in International Relations program at American University in Washington, DC, and has been offered a position as a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State.
Mr. Harris urges current students to build relationships with faculty and involve themselves with student organizations on campus. He argues that it is important to identify one’s interests and reach out to various individuals or organizations: “You should never be afraid to send someone an email, or even call, to express interests. Persistence is key.”
Mr. Harris can be reached at larryoharrisjr@gmail.com.
TERRY WELCH (’76) grew up in Springfield with a Republican father and a Democratic mother who enjoyed engaging the family in political debate. Studying political science at the U of I felt like “a natural next step.” He was on campus during the Watergate era, a particularly interesting time to take political science courses! After graduation, he went on to study law at the University of Houston and public affairs at the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin. He had interned in the Dallas city manager’s office during graduate school, but he decided he wanted to practice law in the public sector to combine his two interests.
During his time with the Dallas City Attorney’s office, Mr. Welch started out defending “cops charged with civil rights violations,” and then moved into private practice representing cities in litigation and land use matters, including municipal regulation of natural gas drilling. This work led to invitations to speak at conferences around Texas and across the country about land use and gas drilling issues. He is currently a partner at Brown & Hofmeister, L.L.P., in Richardson, Texas.
His most treasured memories of college are “so many intense discussions” with peers and incredibly knowledgeable professors. He urges all students to use the opportunities to meet and network with so many incredible people.
Mr. Welch can be reached at twelch@bhlaw.net.