Meredith Shea — PSSA club president.

Newsletter editor Maria J. Albo interviewed Meredith.

Why did you choose political science as a major and do you think that it prepared you for your future goals?

Choosing political science became the clear choice after I took the introductory class my freshman year and I soon decided to pursue a law degree after completing my undergraduate degree. I quickly was given a new perspective of both U. S. and international politics and how intertwined the two really are. Though I am not interested in pursuing a political career, I find that it is critical for civic awareness and political understanding because politics do play a role in our lives and we should understand that.

What experiences has your political science education offered you which have provided you with a competitive edge? How have you leveraged these experiences in your career?

I am more confident in my ability to keep calm and objective in my arguments thanks to the education I have received here. I still have a year and a half to go, but I am excited to see where else it will take me. The competitive edge I experience when I walk to the front of the room has been instilled in me by the faculty members with whom I have worked at the school. Attitudes and mannerisms are just as important as the material that is being presented when people enter the job market and the faculty has impressed the importance of that on us while in class. It is not enough to show up but a student must be fully present in the work and the faculty members reinforces those ideals when they teach, proving to be positive role models in students’ lives.

Describe how your coursework, other experiences helped you.

My course work so far has been time-consuming and demanding but not overwhelming or boring. The opportunity to complete research papers has given me experience in scholarly writing and research experience. To date, I have completed two significant research papers in the department and plan to continue working on them and am considering pursuing publishing.

If you had to provide a blurb about your courses, the faculty, and the major, what would you say?

The faculty of the Political Science Department is truly fantastic and helpful towards students. The faculty give consistent encouragement over multiple semesters to students to expand on their work.
One of my completed research papers was three semesters’ worth of work. I have yet to take a class with the department that I have not enjoyed or benefitted from, and each class I complete reaffirms my decision to pursue the major.

Meredith Shea currently serves as the president of the PSSA and College Democrats.