By Panop (Nop) Phongpetra ’23
Editor-in-Chief
Charlie Kilborn ’22, a Public Policy & Law senior. Photo courtesy of Charlie Kilborn.
For our next Public Policy & Law (PBPL) Voice Profiles, meet Charlie Kilborn! Charlie is a senior currently majoring in Public Policy & Law with a concentration in Policy Analysis. Below, read our meaningful conversation with Charlie as he reflects back on his experience being a PBPL major!
- What sparked your interest in Public Policy & Law?
- I first became interested in the public policy major when taking PBPL 201 with Professor Moskowitz. I thought the assignments were engaging and had many real-world implications. I loved the interdisciplinary aspect of the major not only with the courses that can count towards the major, but the ability in many courses to focus on policy issues I’m most passionate about. As a Policy Analysis concentration, I’ve been exposed to a wide variety of statistics, math, and economics courses which have supplemented the core PBPL major requirements which are reading, writing, and research intensive.
- What has been the most memorable class you have taken in the Public Policy & Law department?
- My most memorable course was “Public Management” with Professor Sean Fitzpatrick in the graduate program. I love Professors Fitzpatrick opening each course with a current events discussion and relating the topic to what we had been discussing in his lectures. Further, I think my writing significantly improved from his weekly short essay assignments.
- How was your internship experience? How were you able to relate academic work with your internship experience? Were there any specific courses in the Public Policy & Law department that helped prepare you for the internship?
- This past summer I interned at the Nashville-based Private Equity firm CapitalSpring which was founded by Trinity Public Policy Alum, Richard Fitzgerald. I was actively involved with a variety of projects over the course of the ~3 month internship ranging from industry research, due diligence, financial modeling/analysis, and preparation of the investment committee memos for most of the investments that went to committee over the summer. Research Methods, statistics, and many of the research-oriented PBPL courses and assignments helped give me a strong foundation for my day-to-day work.
- What are some suggestions and words of counsel for students interested in majoring in Public Policy & Law?
- Start reading the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, or other news publications of your chose. Staying up to date with currents events is essential part of the major and can help give essay topic ideas for future assignments. Editor’s Note: Visit Trinity College Library News and Events site (here) to see how to receive subscriptions from NYT and WSJ provided by Trinity College.
- What are your plans for the next five years? How do you think your internship experience prepared you for your future career?
- Starting after graduation I will be doing a ~2-year~ Financial Advisory training program at Merrill Lynch Bank of America Chicago. The skills I’ve gotten from my public policy courses (Public speaking, research, writing, data analysis) will definitely help me as I start my career!