Middlebury Institute graduates discuss where they are working today, how the Institute helped them get there, and what advice they’d give to current and future MIIS students.
My name is Benjamin Wollam and I graduated with an MA in International Trade and Economic Diplomacy (ITED) from the Middlebury Institute in 2019. My language of study was Chinese, and I specialized in U.S.-China Relations. I am also an alumnus of AmeriCorps and a recipient of the U.S. State Department funded Critical Language Scholarship (CLS). After graduation, I became the trade policy research coordinator at the Office of the United States Trade Representative. I found the position on USAJOBS.
Since then, I’ve been working my dream job contributing to the formulation of U.S. trade policy promoting innovation, one of our country’s greatest superpowers. In my first year, I’ve worked on exciting projects that have real-world impacts both at home and abroad, such as composing the 2021 Notorious Markets List and the 2022 Special 301 Report, as well as contributing to successful outcomes at the World Trade Organization’s 12th Ministerial Conference.
While it’s a good idea to target a certain sector initially, keeping your eyes open will inevitably lead you to discover opportunities you didn’t even know existed.
My ITED courses, especially the Trade Negotiation Simulation class taught by Dr. Wei Liang; my Chinese language studies where I audited classes on top of my normal course load to get extra practice; the Critical Language Scholarship; internships with the U.S. Department of Commerce in Shanghai and the World Trade Organization in Geneva; all of these experiences helped me get hired in my current role. I secured my internships thanks to Middlebury Institute connections.
My best advice to current students when looking for work is to remain open to government as well as the private sector or academia. While it’s a good idea to target a certain sector initially, keeping your eyes open will inevitably lead you to discover opportunities you didn’t even know existed.
“MIIS introduced me to the entire field of international trade along with offering me access to accomplished alumni who were willing to help.” Annathea Cook MAIPS ’16 describes how the Institute helped her launch her career.
An alum from the ITED program helped me secure my internship with the International Trade Administration, and that role, above all else, helped me land my current job. If there is one piece of advice I would give current students, it’s that it’s never too early to start networking and looking for your summer internship or your full-time job.
My name is Loren Hall, I’m a graduate of the International Trade and Economic Diplomacy degree. Currently employed as a trade and logistics officer with the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation. The job that I’m in now is absolutely what I wanted when I went to graduate school.
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