Policy Assistant, Minnesota Housing Partnership

Name: Janna Cheney

Major(s): Sociology

Current Job Title: Policy Assistant

Current Organization: Minnesota Housing Partnership

Brief description of your job:

Support and mobilize grassroots network to take action on specific policy initiatives, Assist in development of annual legislative agenda, compile research on housing issues, create written and web based resources, plan and organize community forums and trainings.

How have you found out about these positions?

Web resources – Minnesota Council of Nonprofits website www.mncn.org

What skills from your degree are you using in your current work?

I use my statistics a lot in analyzing reports. My job also involves a lot of research and writing – so all those Sociology papers paid off. The ability to analyze patterns of social relationships in policy formation and social movements has been useful.

What advice do you have for current liberal arts students with your major?

Engage in activities outside the classroom! Join groups that are involved in areas you're interested in exploring as career possibilities. Take an internship. Participate community service learning activities. All of the above will be much more useful when you're on the job market than your coursework alone. It was community service learning experiences, coupled with a few key contacts (it is "who you know"!) that were the most impressive to my current employer.

How have you gained skills that you didn't get from your degree that are necessary for your job or jobs you have previously held?