My name is Gabriella Bellows, and I am a sophomore at American University in Washington DC, majoring in an interdisciplinary program focused on communications, legal institutions, economics, and government and involved in the School of Public Affairs Leadership Program (SPA Leadership), a selective cohort focusing on leadership skills and development within the field of Public Affairs. Outside of my courses, I am learning Geographic Information Systems (GIS), I am in the process of obtaining my second certificate in Incident Command System, an interclass community coordinator for the SPA Leadership program, the Marketing and Social Media Co-Chair for American University’s Chapter of Sigma Delta Tau, and a Senior Policy Advisor for the 2022 Model G20 Summit. I am looking for opportunities in emergency management or business continuity.
This summer I worked to actualize my goal of working in Emergency Management by interning full time as a Public Safety, Convention Management, and Sales at Events DC, Washington’s sports venue and convention authority. As one part of my internship, I researched security intel and aided in project management and sales process of some of DC’s largest events. As an intern, I participated in professional development and networking series, as well as winning an award for the local Toastmasters chapter.
I first became interested in the social, public health, and political aspects of emergency management when I traveled to New Orleans in the summer of 2017 to rebuild houses of people who faced contractor fraud after Hurricane Katrina, and learned of the multi-agency response and of the political struggles involved to rebuild the city. I am pursuing my passion for Emergency Management through self-study through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute and by attending digital seminars on venue safety and security as an observer with the International Association of Venue Managers. Through the SPA Leadership Program, I am conducting research on flood mitigation policy in the Washington DC area and plan to conduct a service learning project using my research findings. Take a look at my digital portfolio to learn more about my professional interests and academic accomplishments!
The School of Public Affairs Leadership Program is a competitive admissions program aimed at training students for leadership roles in public service: https://www.american.edu/spa/leadership/
I learned leadership methods in a traditional academic setting and through experiential learning. As part of the program, utilizing our prioritized access as honors students to career advising, we are required to build a digital career portfolio, and attend networking events. For the action part of the course, I worked in a small group researching COVID-19’s effect on the mental health of children and created an infographic detailing the local resources available to parents for their children and worked with elementary schools in underserved communities to distribute the infographic. As a leader, I learned to take initiative to do the research into putting together the resources we included on the infographic, as well as putting together the infographic itself. Throughout the process, I was an outgoing team member who “showed up” to meet any adversities along the way.
Fall 2021 Relevant Courses:
- Introduction to Computer Science
- Comparative Politics
- Multicultural Health
- Special Topics in Sociology: Hazards, Disasters, and Society
- Leadership Development Lab (as part of the SPA Leadership Program)
College:
- Introduction to Public Affairs
- Microeconomics
- Politics in the United States
- Basic Statistics
- Introduction to Systems of Justice
- Leadership Development Lab (as part of the SPA Leadership Program)
High School:
- AP Environmental Science
- AP Microeconomics
- AP Macroeconomics
- AP United States History
- AP United States Government
- AP English Language and Composition
- Additional Honors level course work in English, Spanish, Comparative Religions, and Computer Science
College:
- School of Public Affairs Leadership Program
- Tree Links Lodge Scholarship
- Hillel Jewish Learning Fellowship
High School:
- AP Scholar with Honors
- Brandeis University Pre-College Genesis Scholar (Public Policy)
- Various local, regional, and national awards in Model United Nations