Law Degree in DC: Ellie Miske

Updated Story: Ellie Miske, 2011, Washington, DC

What are you up to since the last time you shared your story? When I shared my story three years ago, I was in law school doing a semester in DC program through UConn School of Law. Since then, I graduated from law school, passed the bar exam, and started a job as an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, DC.

How'd you get here since the last time you shared? I connected with as many people as possible during my semester in DC. Even though over two years had passed before I moved back to DC, I stayed in touch with many of the people I met through emails, phone calls, and meeting for lunch when I visited. This helped me secure my current job. I also clerked at the Connecticut Appellate Court for a year after graduation. This allowed me to develop my research and writing skills with one-on-one mentoring from a judge.

What are your goals now? Have they changed? While in law school, I was focused on getting a job doing something I cared about. Now that I have gotten a job in the field that I want, in the place that I want, I am starting to think long term. Do I have a good work-life balance? Do I picture myself here in 5 years? 10 years? More? What do I like about my job? What don't I like about the job? Is it flexible with leave and benefits? Can I work from home? Essentially, my goals have changed in that now I can focus on if my job is right for me long-term, and if not, what I envision for myself in the future.

February 13, 2017: Ellie Miske, Class of 2011, Washington, D.C.

What are you up to? I'm currently in my second year of law school at University of Connecticut Law School. I'm participating in the "Semester in D.C." program. In this program, I'm working on the Judiciary Committee portfolio for Senator Blumenthal. The Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over federal judges and other issues regarding the federal courts. For example, handling the Attorney General appointee (Jeff Sessions)  hearings, as well as the upcoming hearings for the Supreme Court nomination. I also do a variety of other projects (many of which are regarding current events).

How'd you get here? After graduating from WHS, I went to University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I double majored in Political Science and Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies. I graduated a semester early and interned in the Northwestern District Attorney. I started law school the following fall. 

While in undergrad, I was involved in student government and campus activism. I was working on women's issues such as combatting campus sexual assault and domestic violence. I also worked at our women's center as a rape crisis counselor.

I became interested in law while working on these initiatives. I worked closely with our Title IX Coordinator and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. Both of these women had law degrees even though they weren't practicing lawyers. One of my favorite professors at the time also had a law degree. I started talking in depth to these mentors about a law degree and realized how flexible it was. I realized with scholarships (and especially UConn's in-state tuition) this could be an option for me.

What are your goals? I want to work in a position where I am making a difference. I'd love to work in government, public policy, or at a non-profit. I am also interested in labor law and will be working at AFSCME's International headquarters in Washington, D.C. this upcoming summer.

Advice for WHS Students? Don't be afraid to ask to grab lunch or a coffee with people who have jobs that you find interesting. Getting to know people helps you learn what your options are and then when opportunities come up in the future, they'll already have you in mind. "Networking" is a buzz word, but it is also a really helpful skill and the earlier you master it, the more opportunities you will have.

What do you feel grateful for today? I feel grateful that I have been able to continue my education and have had guidance from people who went out of their way to support me. Which is exactly why I want to "pay it forward" and reach out to help any students at WHS who wants to learn more about my career path.

Creating His Own World: Robert Barkow

Robert Barkow, Class of 2016, Brooklyn, New York

What are you up to? I'm a video game developer and the creator of the massive multiplayer adventure Ruinic which is set to release on Steam soon! I currently live in Brooklyn, New York and anything computer related is what I'm up to, whether it be programming, graphic design, or web design!

How'd you get here? After graduating from Watertown High School, I decided to take a gamble and not join the military or go to college so that I could focus on my goals. I continued to work on my computer development projects, which date back to when I was 10 years old. Between then and now, I have taught myself a vast array of computer skills. I was also given the opportunity to work on various projects by other developers, which in return gave me recognition in various communities. In 2018, I was given the opportunity to sign an agreement with VALVE Corporation (which is the developer of the software distribution platform Steam) for my video game Ruinic In November of 2018, 5 days before my 21st birthday, I signed. Soon enough, I realized that investing time into your goals and never caving under pressure will always lead to success.

What are your goals? It has been my goal for as long as I can remember to make a video game that people can enjoy, so I would say I am currently living my goals. However, my main goal right now is to keep developing Ruinic and make sure it's stable for release. I can see myself developing other video games after I finish Ruinic, traveling, or finding a new passion to chase. I’m developing most likely as you're reading this, so great things are being worked on beyond this page!

If you could tell your high school self one thing, what would it be? You can never fail, you can succeed and if you don't succeed, then you will learn.

Calling All Artists!

Calling all artists! Watertown High School and TOWN are looking for art submissions from WHS alumni to showcase in the WHS Art Show Wednesday, April 4, 2018. We want your art! Not only will it be viewed by the community at Watertown High School, it will be on display during our Townies Talk event and on our website. 

Please sign up to submit artwork by submitting your name and e-mail address below and we will follow up with details on how to submit your art. If you are not located in Watertown, you can send us the files/photographs of your art and we will send it to be printed at the high school. We're looking for all forms of art submissions from photography, paintings, mixed media, sculpture, to video submissions. We're excited to see what you've created since your days in high school!

Deadline to submit: Friday, March 23, 2018

While you are at it, share your story too!

Redefining Success

Our mission is to tell real and raw stories of success and failure to bridge the gap between alumni and current students. This is a new kind of alumni network where we value "success" with an open mind. 

This means including everyone at the table to share their story. Success can have a variety of different meanings to a group of diverse people and to limit ourselves to one definition could quite possibly change the decisions we make in our lives.

Have you overcome mental illness? Have you preserved through addiction? Have you raised three kids and sent them to college when all of the odds were against you? Have you faced racial or social injustices? Have you lost someone close to you and you’re getting through? Are you on a journey right now but you don’t know where you’re headed? We want to be able to show the reality of success and that life has so many different paths to choose from.

Success has 2 definitions within the dictionary:

1) the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame

2) the correct or desired result of an attempt

We place a ton weight on definition number one, “the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame”. These are superficial measurements put in place to rate people and put some on higher pedestals than others. To devalue many other contributions to society can be negative effect on our community. Wealth, respect, or fame - how can these be the only adjectives that correlate to success? Look at our teachers who help shape future generations - fame and wealth is hard to come by while working in education - and yet these are some of the most successful people who contribute to our society. They should also be celebrated. Their story matters too.

Definition number two, “the correct or desired result of an attempt”, is an open-minded definition of success. Many alumni magazines or publications glorify a person’s path to triumph. They choose the success stories they see fit into our societal definition and leave out many details about the journey. We are determined to do the opposite, to share all stories to the community and to focus on the adventure alumni took to get there.

We are out to connect and strengthen Watertown High School. Through creativity, honesty, and empathy, we are determined to create a more informed WHS class by sharing the multi-faceted, multi-leveled stories of success and failure. Can our small town start changing the definition of success?

How do you view success? Do you have a story to share? Share your story today! 

TOWN - Survey

Finally, our last survey. We asked students what they thought of TOWN mag, and we won’t lie, we LOVED the responses. We think we'll keep on doing what we're doing. Are you an alumni and interested in inspiring WHS students? Share your story today. #townmag #whs 

5 Classes That Should be Taught at WHS

We came up with a list of 5 classes that we think would be beneficial for all students to take in high school. Many of these classes are offered at universities throughout the country, but what if all students were exposed to them in high school? We focused on classes that would help broaden the mind, benefit a community, and give students a upper hand when it comes to the world outside of school.

1. Philosophy

Philosophy teaches you to think, question, and wonder about this complex world. It invites conversation, debate, and serious questioning of our perception of reality and morals. It also allows students to learn humility and vulnerability. Just how big and important are we? What is justice? What is truth? What is virtue?

In Italy, history and theories of philosophy are taught throughout Italian high schools. The result is a culture that allows it’s people to really engage in their feelings without being ashamed. They are not alone in their quest for truth; many countries throughout the world make teaching philosophy a priority.

Teaching philosophy to our students could lead to a more empathetic and understanding community. It would give students a tool to use for better self-awareness, which can result in better decision-making and a happier society. Let’s give our students the opportunity to learn about deeper thought and understanding, something that would make Plato and Socrates proud.

2. Personal Finance

Personal finance classes should be mandatory for all students. Great money habits are critical, especially right now. The reality of student loans, taxes, credit cards, and credit score can really become overwhelming if you don’t understand the system. Additionally, it would be great to teach high school students to have simple saving skills. We can expose some financial secrets that Wall Street bankers don’t want you to know, and it would allow students to get ahead of the game to understand the big picture. Although high school students may not be thinking that far in the future just yet, having access to that knowledge is critical when big decisions on personal finance do come up. 

3. Culture and Religion

Understanding, appreciating and respecting each other’s thoughts and beliefs teaches empathy and tolerance, which is vital for a growing and diverse community. There are many different beliefs systems and cultures throughout the world, and it would be beneficial for high school students to gain more exposure to each. Though some of this is covered in world history, it may be more interesting and beneficial to learn about current cultural events and religious traditions in this global society to give students a more solid outlook on how the world works. To be clear, there is a difference between teaching religion and teaching about religion. Read more here.

4. Logic and Mathematical Thinking

It seems like Logic and Mathematical Thinking would be covered in your conventional algebra class, but surprisingly, it’s not. Logic and Mathematical Thinking covers how to think like a mathematician, versus how to actually do the math. In these studies, only variables are used (no numbers) and it lays a base for a mathematical thinking process. This class could be beneficial in many aspects of a high school student’s life; it would be helpful for students struggling with basic algebra to students preparing for SATs. Read more about logic and mathematical thinking here and here. 

5. Environmental Studies/Science

The impact humans have on the environment is very real, and yet we don’t learn about it until we are in college. Creating ecologically literate students would benefit our future and our children’s futures. Environmental education is not only facts and figures about the natural world, it’s a deeper understanding of how dependent we are on nature, and how dependent nature is to us. By exposing students to environmental studies when they are in high school, they could pursue a degree in that field, and eventually could help reduce waste or curb CO2 emissions or change the world! Whether we like it or not, climate change is happening and we need to arm the next generation with the knowledge to help combat it. Read more about  AP Environmental Science here.

We also asked Juniors at WHS what classes they would like to see added to their curriculum. The results somewhat crossed paths with ours; some students said they wanted to see environmental studies and personal finance classes. The most popular class they wanted to see in the cirriculum: Cooking. 

What classes would you like to see taught and why? We’d love to hear from you!

Life In Watertown Survey

We had a little fun asking Juniors at Watertown High School about life in Watertown. The results were pretty hilarious to read and brought us back to our high school days. Some were really positive responses, but a lot were negative outlooks on Watertown (we asked students to make a hashtag for Watertown and one response was #dontcomeheretohavefun).

Of course, the negative responses make us question how the town and community can step up it's game. We are all for adding a skate park (one request from the survey), which has been something townie teenagers have dreamed of for years. We guess the town budget would have to pass first before we think the town will get a skate park, but hey, a townie can dream. On a serious note, we think that more things for teenage townies to do would really be a benefit the community overall and we're all for supporting these type of community initiatives.

The responses really brought us back to the days when we used to say, “I can’t wait to get out of this town.” Now that we are out.. well.. we love going back.

Inspiring Future Mathematicians: Kayla Bingham

Kayla Bingham, Class of 2011, Manchester, CT

What are you up to? Currently I am teaching 8th grade math at Chippens Hill Middle School in Bristol. This is my first year teaching, so I'm busy with work all the time and my students can be very challenging as well. However, I'm really happy with what I am doing because I have some pretty amazing students, and I get to help them navigate their final year before going on to high school as young adults. I hope to show them how cool math can actually be and how useful the skills they are learning will be to them in the future.

How'd you get here? After starting my undergrad at UCONN in engineering, I quickly realized that that particular field wasn't best suited for me and I decided to pursue one of my childhood career aspiration of becoming a teacher. It didn't take much for me to decide on education because I had many amazing teachers in Watertown Public Schools. Many of my high school teachers had a clear passion for both teaching and their subject area, so I knew that teaching secondary math is where I belonged. After receiving my Bachelor of Science in mathematics from UCONN, I applied for their Teacher Preparation Program for College Graduates, an intensive, one-year program that allowed me to earn my Master's degree and complete a certification program simultaneously.

What are your goals? Well, my first goal is to survive my first two years of teaching, with observations and evaluations as well as completing the TEAM program for new teachers. I also really want to help my students understand that math isn't so scary and difficult, and there's no such thing as a "math person." Everyone learns at their own pace, and it might just take you longer and more practice to get it.

Advice for WHS Students? Similar to what I want for my students! Believe in yourself and work hard. Not everything in life comes easy, but more often than not, it's worth the hard work and the journey getting there. Also, don't let people tell you that your career goals aren't good enough. One reason I started in engineering was because of outside pressure. I'm glad I changed my plans to something I truly enjoy doing.

How did you start your day? I started my day by waking up nice and early to get to school!