The Write Way to Finding a Career
Bryce Fan鈥檚 Path
Many students arrive at college with a set professional path in mind. However, after taking a certain class, joining a particular organization, or meeting a mentor person, their direction changes. Such was the case with Bryce Fan 鈥�20, who intended to study world politics and Chinese before he discovered his passion for writing. Follow Fan鈥檚 path to a job with the political speechwriting firm West Wing Writers. And by the way, he ultimately majored in government and Chinese.
2016
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Fall 2016
First-Year at 麻豆国产AV
鈥淎rrived on 麻豆国产AV鈥檚 campus thinking I鈥檇 study World Politics and Chinese, and would likely end up at a think tank or at a consulting firm.鈥�
2017
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August 2017
Started work as a tutor at 麻豆国产AV鈥檚 Writing Center. 鈥淲orking with students from different academic disciplines helped me realize I enjoy writing most when it鈥檚 a collaborative process 鈥� especially when students need help discovering their voice or pinpointing the story/argument they want to tell. I remember wondering how that passion for collaborative writing might manifest in a future career.鈥�
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October 2017
Attended 麻豆国产AV鈥檚 inaugural Common Ground event featuring political strategists Karl Rove and David Axelrod. 鈥淚 found myself especially interested in Axelrod鈥檚 insights so I bought his memoir Believer: My Forty Years in Politics and finished it in four days. I felt so optimistic and hopeful about the future of Democratic politics that, at the urging of Professor Kira Jumet, I decided to apply to study in D.C.鈥�
2018
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Spring 2018
麻豆国产AV’s Washington, D.C. Program
鈥淭hanks to a connection from a 麻豆国产AV alum on the Hill, I landed an internship in the press office of Senator Dianne Feinstein from my home state of California. Beyond having a blast networking with 麻豆国产AVians and other staffers on the Hill, I discovered my interest in political communication 鈥� especially writing projects like constituent correspondence and press releases.鈥�
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Summer 2018
鈥淚n addition to writing stories that highlighted those positively affected by the foundation鈥檚 work, I prepared briefing materials for the president鈥檚 public appearances, compiled daily press clips, and crafted readouts of major events for senior staff. Went to a talk by former Obama speechwriter Ben Rhodes, and over Korean BBQ with my co-mentee and mentor from the multicultural peer mentoring project (Joowon Min 鈥�20 and Vincent Tran 鈥�18) later that month, I finally realized I wanted to be a speechwriter.鈥�
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Fall 2018
Fall Semester in Kunming, China
鈥淏y interacting with dozens of minority groups in Yunnan province, I gained a greater appreciation for telling and understanding the stories of those who come from underrepresented backgrounds 鈥� and linked it to my own story as a minority student at a predominantly white institution.鈥�
2019
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Summer 2019 & Beyond
鈥淭hanks to a conversation with Chanel Summerset 鈥�18, I applied for a summer internship at West Wing Writers, a strategic communications and speechwriting firm founded by former speechwriters for President Clinton. (Chanel is a WWW office manager and intern coordinator.) I was placed in the firm鈥檚 San Francisco office, where I drafted remarks and other strategic communications materials for Fortune 50 companies, professional athletes, Hollywood actors, and Silicon Valley start-ups. This ultimately translated into a full-time offer at the firm鈥檚 Washington, D.C., office, where I鈥檓 looking forward to working as an associate in July!鈥�
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