Alumni Impacting Education

Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences alumni are impacting education policy and teaching in many different ways — thanks to their own Carnegie Mellon training and experience.

“I get to do wonderful things because I went to Carnegie Mellon,” said Beverley Wheeler (DC’76, HNZ '78), who has served, among other positions, as president and CEO of Center City Public Charter Schools, executive director of the DC State Board of Education and is now an adjunct faculty member in the Heinz College Washington DC program.
 
“Carnegie Mellon gives you an incredible skill set,” said Wheeler, who is also the past president of the CMU alumni association. “You can’t pigeonhole a Dietrich College graduate.”

Dave Williams (DC'11, HNZ'12), for example, found his niche in education policy, and is currently an analyst for an advocacy group in Washington, DC. While in school, he interned at the U.S. Department of Education and taught at-risk students.

“CMU lets you impact education in ways beyond the classroom,” he said, and pointed out the particular value of the quantitative proficiency he acquired.

“The quantitative skill set has been very crucial,” he said. “Having that on your resume and that method of thinking are so important.”

Lauren Gumbel (DC'11), now in her fourth year of teaching, had come to CMU to pursue psychology research. She quickly discovered a passion for children and worked at the Children’s School with director Sharon Carver, something she called an “incredible experience.”

After graduation, she joined Teach for America and now helps special-needs students transition from high school into college and employment.

Kimberly Lackner Mauro (DC’05), a history and English teacher in the Pittsburgh area, was able to take advantage of CMU’s opportunity to cross-register at Chatham University to quickly complete her education curriculum and begin teaching.

“Having CMU on my resume was invaluable and my classes prepared me so well,” she said. “My writing skills in particular are very, very strong. People ask for my help with written work.”

Dietrich College students interested in education had the opportunity to meet and hear about the college’s alumni who have forged different careers at Under Construction: Building Your Future.

Sophomore Sarah Moss-Horwitz (DC‘17) appreciated the input as she explores possibilities within the field. “It’s really helpful to learn about the different paths the alumni took and their perspectives,” said Moss-Horwitz, a decision sciences major. “Did they have similar experiences, feelings? It was really interesting to hear their perspectives.”

Siriana Abboud, a double major in psychology and French and Francophone Studies, (DC’16) agrees. “Listening to alumni experiences is definitely very inspiring,” she said. “There’s so much I haven’t done yet at CMU but I’m also so excited to actually start doing what I’m planning to do.”

With their CMU training and network support, there’s much to be excited about.