February 10, 2026
One of the joys of SMPA is thinking and talking about big ideas. Over the past week or so I have shared readings with colleagues and students about the question of a civic faith as a prerequisite to a national renewal (sometimes conceived of as civil religion), I have quoted Plato to an international news organization and received an email from one of your classmates who fell down an internet rabbit hole about sophists.
Because this is SMPA most of you also have an eye on what comes next, how to turn those big ideas into things that pay your rent (and student loans). You know what’s happening to the news and political industries. You are more aware than most about the changing job markets and career challenges that storytellers and advocates face. Part of our job is to prepare you intellectually and professionally for that changing world.
One way we’re helping set you up for professional success is one of your ideas: You asked us to bring in people, ideally SMPA people, who can help you get your post-GW career going. It was a very good idea, so we took you up on it.
On February 19th and 20th SMPA is hosting its first career readiness sessions. At 5pm on Thursday the 19th I’m hosting a conversation with SMPA Terker Fellows Liz Kelly Nelson and Joe Pounder. After a career at the Washington Post, Vox, Gannett, USA Today, and AOL, Liz Kelly Nelson is now helping journalists continue their craft as the industry changes. After graduating from GW and then serving in senior roles for some of the most prominent Republicans of the early 2000s, Joe Pounder founded Bullpen Strategy - a political and strategic consulting firm with offices in London, Dallas and DC. Liz Kelly Nelson and Joe Pounder know what employers are looking for.
On Friday, February 20th from 10am to 2:15pm we’re hosting smaller sessions on networking, pitching yourself, mentoring, personal branding, and more. We will end with a panel of recent SMPA alumni. This is a great opportunity to work on the skills you need to land good gigs in changing journalism and political worlds. Details and registration for the conversations are here.
Onward into another week of big ideas and finding ways to turn those ideas into action.