Patrick Gill
Children At Risk
"Educators and students operate within an education system that was built by policymakers, and many of the challenges they face can be addressed through understanding and working to change that system."
Career Roadmap
Patrick's work combines: Education, Politics, and Upholding a Cause and Belief
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Granite Bay High School
Bachelor's Degree
Political Science and Government, General
University of Notre Dame
Graduate Degree
Public Policy Analysis, General
University of Houston
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Social Science Research Assistants:
Bachelor's Degree: Statistics, General
Bachelor's Degree: Political Science and Government, General
Graduate Degree: Public Policy Analysis, General
Graduate Degree: Statistics, General
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Deciding to go to Notre Dame was huge. The school is so service-oriented, that I knew I wanted to devote my life to others very early on being there.
2.
For many years I thought I wanted to go into foreign policy, but my interest in education and related issues of access and equity developed late in college. I switched majors to reflect this new path.
3.
I did a year of service after college through a program called City Year, and the students I worked with in a public school on Chicago's South Side in that year shapes my worldview to this day.
4.
I worked for nonprofits for years after college, never able to save up enough for grad school. I was able to go because the program I found had lots of aid built in. Look for those opportunities!
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Why aren't you going to law school? If you're interested in education, why don't you become a teacher? What does it even mean to do public policy analysis and research?
How I responded:
Educators aren't the only folks making a difference every day in education. Educators and students operate within an education system that was built by policymakers, and many of the challenges they face can be addressed through understanding and working to change that system. Also, if you want to study something like political science or history (I studied both in undergrad!), it is completely OK to not want to go to law school. Do what you love, and you can make a difference!
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Growing up with a parent diagnosed with bipolar disorder created a lot of issues, but it also gave me a much deeper understanding of what so many in our society battle every day. I try to use that empathy in my work to bring a human element to data.