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Bryce Fan’s 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 ’20, who intended to study world politics and Chinese before he discovered his passion for writing. Follow Fan’s path to a job with the political speechwriting firm West Wing Writers. And by the way, he ultimately majored in government and Chinese.

2016

  • Fall 2016

    First-Year at Hamilton

    “Arrived on Hamilton’s campus thinking I’d study World Politics and Chinese, and would likely end up at a think tank or at a consulting firm.”

2017

  • August 2017

    Writing Center Tutor

    Started work as a tutor at Hamilton’s Writing Center. “Working with students from different academic disciplines helped me realize I enjoy writing most when it’s a collaborative process — 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.”

  • October 2017

    Inaugural Common Ground Event

    Attended Hamilton’s inaugural Common Ground event featuring political strategists Karl Rove and David Axelrod. “I found myself especially interested in Axelrod’s 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.”

2018

  • Spring 2018

    Hamilton’s Washington, D.C. Program

    “Thanks to a connection from a Hamilton 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 Hamiltonians and other staffers on the Hill, I discovered my interest in political communication — especially writing projects like constituent correspondence and press releases.”

  • Summer 2018

    Communications Intern, Clinton Foundation and in President Clinton’s Personal Office

    “In addition to writing stories that highlighted those positively affected by the foundation’s work, I prepared briefing materials for the president’s 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 ’20 and Vincent Tran ’18) later that month, I finally realized I wanted to be a speechwriter.”

  • Fall 2018

    Fall Semester in Kunming, China

    “By 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 — and linked it to my own story as a minority student at a predominantly white institution.”

2019

  • Summer 2019 & Beyond

    Alumni Connections

    “Thanks to a conversation with Chanel Summerset ’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’s 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’s Washington, D.C., office, where I’m looking forward to working as an associate in July!”

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