For the second year, Widmeyer Communications, a Finn Partners Company, has partnered with George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) to provide the Widmeyer-Finn Partners Communications Scholar program to a student pursuing a career in public affairs.
The recipient for the 2015-2016 academic year is Rachel Kliger, a second-year master’s student in SMPA’s Media and Public Affairs program. Rachel has been utilizing her SMPA education as a fellow on the Finn Partners Public Affairs team since September 2015.
The program provides tuition assistance and a paid internship at Finn Partners in Washington, D.C. Scott Widmeyer, the founder and managing partner of Widmeyer Communications, facilitated the scholarship. He also serves on GW’s National Council for Media and Public Affairs.
“Working at Finn Partners has given me the most real-world experience I could have ever asked for during my final year in school,” Kliger said. “I’ve applied all the skills I learned at SMPA to my day-to-day work, and have incorporated my experiences at the firm into my classes.”
Rachel works with the public affairs team on multiple accounts, including the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Pool Safely public education campaign, the Peterson G. Peterson Foundation, and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea. She previously worked in the communications department at SMPA, interned at the Department of Health and Human Services, and volunteers with Jewish Women International, a local nonprofit focused on gender equality and anti-domestic violence campaigns.
“Rachel’s SMPA education allowed her to show value to the team immediately upon her arrival here, participating in brainstorms and executing campaigns for our most important client accounts,” Widmeyer said. “She’s a great ambassador of the George Washington University SMPA program.”
This scholarship is a prime example of SMPA’s commitment to its students’ success, as it helps alleviate tuition costs while providing a meaningful internship experience.
The 2015 Widmeyer-Finn Partners Scholar Laura Shuey-Kostelac, MA' 15, BA' 14 is currently an Assistant Account Executive with the Finn Partners Public Affairs team.