The Plenary is an online community blog for PLEN alumnae and supporters to mentor, collaborate, and share essential professional and life lessons they’ve learned during and after their PLEN seminars.
The Plenary
Experiencing Washington DC in a New Way
The PLEN Women in STEM Policy seminar gave me opportunities to experience D.C. in a way you wouldn't normally do as a tourist. I found the copious amounts of panels and qualified speakers very effective in helping shape my understanding of the STEM policy field. I hope to continue to move forward in my STEM [...]
PLEN Provided Me with Resources to Be a Leader in STEM Policy
This past January, I had the privilege of attending PLEN’s Women in STEM Policy seminar, and it was an invaluable experience that greatly expanded my perspective on public policy. Before attending the seminar, I had only a vague understanding of the policy field. In my limited knowledge, I equated “careers in policy” with “lobbying on [...]
PLEN Reaffirmed My Goal to Work in Healthcare Policy on the Hill
I first learned about PLEN from my advisor and she thought it would be a great experience for me. Since I am pursuing my Masters of Public Health focusing on policy and administration within healthcare, I felt that the Women in STEM Policy seminar would be a great supplemental experience to my education. I am [...]
You Don’t Need to Be a Political Science Major to Work in Policy
The PLEN Women in STEM Policy Seminar was an amazing experience for me. This opportunity allowed me to leave Minnesota and its political sphere and immerse myself in the nation's capital. A PLEN alumna from last year recommended this seminar to me once I told her about my aspirations. Also, my college is a member [...]
I’m Not Alone in Wanting it All
Throughout my academic career, I have felt an invariable attraction to both the world of STEM, and the realm of law and policy. Rather than accept popular advice that I had to choose an academic path in either one field or the other, I decided to “go it alone” and pursue a career that would [...]
Fighting Doubts, Gaining Confidence, and Valuing Women Who Support Women
I learned about PLEN through students from my school, St. Lawrence University, who had attended PLEN seminars in past years. The Women in STEM Policy seminar exceeded my expectations; we heard from an incredible variety of accomplished women who spoke to us about their career and how they’ve come to where they are now. Two [...]
Final Thoughts on a Summer with PLEN
PLEN is an organization that will always be special to me. It saw me grow from a young naive college student trying to figure out what she wants to do into a working woman pursuing her goals and employed at her dream organization. When I was first introduced to PLEN as a sophomore in college, [...]
6 Tips to Crowdfund Your Way to a PLEN Seminar in D.C.
So, you just heard about this awesome opportunity for women in college that offers to help you start networking in D.C., gain professional skills, get hands-on experience in an area you’re interested in starting a career in, and maybe even make a few friends in the process. Awesome! But then you see the price tag. [...]
Growing Professionally with PLEN
As I sat at my desk this week, I could not believe that my summer interning with PLEN has flown by so fast. At the beginning of the summer, I set several goals to work towards during the course of my internship. Most of my goals were long term and intangible. I wanted to enhance [...]
How to Apply for a PLEN Scholarship
Attending a PLEN seminar can be a life-changing experience, but Washington DC is also an expensive city, and budgets are tight in college. Because of this, PLEN offers scholarships for each of the six seminars offered. PLEN scholarships normally cover registration, seminar, and hotel fees, but regardless of how much you may receive if your [...]