Returning home after winter term, Stephanie Barnhart ’14 had just touched down when she turned on her phone to see an email from the Advancement Office. Sitting on the tarmac, her Internet connection was weak.
“It was a heart-stopping few moments,” she said in an email.
The message loaded, and she learned she had gotten the job.
Barnhart, along with seven other alumni, will work as a Presidential Fellow next year, serving in a yearlong administrative position at the College.
Next year’s fellows listed a love of Dartmouth, desire to gain work experience and the opportunity to give back to the school as reasons they applied to the program, which places young alumni in College offices.
In addition to Barnhart, Esteban Castano ’14, Jen Jaco ’13, Neelima Panth ’14, Rohail Premjee ’14, Maria Sperduto ’14, Holli Weed ’14 and Karl Yaeger MALS’13 will serve as fellows. Their work will span several divisions of the College’s administration, including the President’s Office, the Provost’s Office, the Advancement Office, the Office of the Dean of the College, the Wellness Office and the Office of Global Health.
President’s Office director of outreach and development Nariah Broadus, who oversees the fellowship program, said in an email that it is “competitive,” declining to release the number of applicants. Since the program was founded by former College President Jim Yong Kim, around eight applicants have been selected each year.
Barnhart said the program gives participants career experience while allowing them to stay on campus in an academic environment.
She said she will explore her interest in higher education and institutional advance ment through the job, which will involve keeping alumni informed about goings-on at Dartmouth.
Jaco, who is pursuing the fellowship for a second year, said she applied because she knew people who went through the program previously, adding that it teaches young graduates about being an employee.
After one year in the Office of Finance and Administration, Jaco decided to work in the Wellness Office. Her experience, she said, has prepared her to potentially attend business school and work in hospital administration, one of her goals.
Many of the fellows said that their love of Dartmouth played a role in their decision to stay.
After his experience in Student Assembly and the Undergraduate Finance Committee, Premjee said, working in the President’s Office seemed a natural transition. Premjee currently works as an intern in the President’s Office, and said he expects the fellowship to better teach him about the College.
“As a fellow,” he said, “you finally get a sense of the moving parts of the administration.”
Sperduto, a founder and director of Dartmouth on Purpose — a new student group that aims to encourage wellness, reflection and personal success in the campus community — will work next year under the Dean of the College, assisting with projects related to health, wellness and community.
Sperduto said that recent graduates can play an important role in administrative processes, providing recent experience as a student and an understanding of how campus operates.
“I really love the school and wanted to give back,” Barnhart said. “As a fellow, you can have a role in changing things.”
