TFAS recruits the best and brightest students from across the globe, so it is no surprise that many of them choose to participate in post-undergraduate programs, seeking to continue their education.
It is rare, however, when four alumni end up partaking in the same program, in the same city.
Since June 2009, Alanna Ream (A 07), Sterling Meyers (CSS 08) and Thomas Kraemer (B 06) have been participants in the Koch Associate Program at the Charles G. Koch Foundation in Arlington, Va.
The Koch Associate Program (KAP) is a job opportunity for professionals who are interested in becoming more effective at advancing liberty throughout their careers. KAP provides the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve the participants’ career goals while also placing each associate in a full-time position at a local non-profit organization where they work four days a week. The year-long program runs until May 2010.
When asked why she chose to participate in the Koch Associate Program, Alanna Ream (A 07) said that she “wanted to work for an organization where I was challenged and felt passionately about the work of the organization.”
Similarly, Sterling Meyers (CSS 08) said she chose the KAP because of the combination of “management training, professional development opportunities and day-to-day experience working at a non-profit organization.”
In addition, she credits her time with TFAS as to why she was interested in becoming a Koch Associate.
“Without coursework in economics and public policy that I completed during TFAS, I wouldn’t have realized an interest in learning more about free-market ideas. My semester at TFAS helped me to refine my career goals and our course readings prepared me for the projects and reading materials that we discuss each week through the Koch Associate Program,” she said.
Thomas Kraemer (B 06), another alumnus in KAP, also mentioned his TFAS experience as a reason he wanted to get involved with the Koch Foundation.
“The classes I took (while in TFAS) increased my understanding of the interactions between business and government. Additionally, my TFAS mentor gave me very valuable advice and helped me learn more about what the working world is like. These and other areas of learning gave me an important foundation of knowledge that I have been able to build upon as a Koch Associate.”
The TFAS connection doesn’t stop here! Meyers was even referred to the program by David Arnold (B 02), who participated in the program in 2008.
Do you have a similar story about finding TFAS alumni at your current Fellowship or post-undergraduate program? Contact alumni@TFAS.org with your story!