国产探花

Combination of different knowledge bases serving grad well

With a presidential election cycle about to kick into a higher gear, graduate Allison Bedell鈥檚 role as vice president for Canvass America, a voter canvassing organization based in Washington, D.C., is sure to intensify.

Allie, a 2014 Keene State graduate, wouldn鈥檛 want it any other way.

Ambitious and politically curious by nature, Allie is where she wants to be, in the nation鈥檚 capital and in the political mix, directing efforts focused on helping election campaigns with voter-contact or in-person- based voter-canvassing support.

Her story, as it is for so many of our alums, is remarkable in that Allie was able to blend her college education by integrating high-interest classes, finding service-learning opportunities, and studying abroad. An Honors Program student, Allie parlayed all of that into bachelor鈥檚 degrees in journalism and political science. She also left Keene State with two minors, in Spanish and Holocaust & Genocide Studies.

Allie is from Londonderry, New Hampshire, the first-in- the-nation presidential primary state where she began her career in politics.

Now 31, Allie has the distinction of being the very first hire for Canvass America, a still-growing organization that employs more than 1,000 workers across the country. She has extensive experience building successful grassroots voter contact operations. Ambitious and politically curious by nature, Allie is where she wants to be, in the nation鈥檚 capital and in the political mix, directing efforts focused on helping election campaigns with voter-contact or in-person- based voter-canvassing support.

Her story, as it is for so many of our alums, is remarkable in that Allie was able to blend her college education by integrating high-interest classes, finding service-learning opportunities, and studying abroad. An Honors Program student, Allie parlayed all of that into bachelor鈥檚 degrees in journalism and political science. She also left Keene State with two minors, in Spanish and Holocaust & Genocide Studies.

Allie is from Londonderry, New Hampshire, the first-in- the-nation presidential primary state where she began her career in politics.

Now 31, Allie has the distinction of being the very first hire for Canvass America, a still-growing organization that employs more than 1,000 workers across the country. She has extensive experience building successful grassroots voter contact operations.

鈥淜eene State provided opportunities to try different things. We were encouraged to travel, to learn and be curious, to volunteer, and to wade into discussions that made us uncomfortable. It鈥檚 an environment that taught me to be a curious and compassionate leader and to always work toward finding points of consensus.鈥� 鈥� Allie Bedell 鈥�14

鈥淜eene State provided opportunities to try different things. We were encouraged to travel, to learn and be curious, to volunteer, and to wade into discussions that made us uncomfortable. It鈥檚 an environment that taught me to be a curious and compassionate leader and to always work toward finding points of consensus.鈥�

At Keene State, Allie worked for the Keene State student newspaper, was part of the College鈥檚 yearbook staff, and was a member of KSC Republicans, one of dozens of student-run groups on campus.

She studied in Bosnia and immediately knew, she says, that she wanted to study in Keene State鈥檚 Holocaust & genocide studies (HGS) program when she returned. More than just another add-on, it became another degree.

鈥淭he HGS program brought important context and meaning to what I was already studying.鈥�

Her Keene State memories 鈥� and connections 鈥� are never far away.

鈥淚 still talk to some of my closest friends from Keene every week. For much of the last 10 years we鈥檝e lived in different places, but when we see each other at weddings or when passing through each other鈥檚 cities, we pick up exactly where we left off. We all have pretty different lives and careers but we have stayed close because we鈥檝e been there to cheer each other on through every milestone of our adult lives.鈥�

Success doesn鈥檛 just happen, Allie says, but the right college fit and a little ambition can help to get you to where the world is headed in your chosen field. For her, Keene State checked all the boxes.

鈥淚 was a precocious high school student who stressed about grades and extracurriculars and I had dreams of going to big, fancy schools. I was going to be able to get through Keene State with no debt and my other options required astronomical student loans. As an adult, I can鈥檛 believe that I made such a smart choice at 17, but I am so glad that I did; both financially in the long-term and for what I gained from Keene State.鈥�

Growing Canvass America and mentoring young professionals are her top priorities.

鈥淚鈥檝e had the opportunity to learn so much in a startup environment. It has taught me to be much more dynamic and creative to ensure we get things done and that we can roll with the punches. 鈥� I鈥檓 proud of what we鈥檝e built and excited to see where we take it.鈥�

And, to high school students who find themselves in that important decision-making space about college, which Allie wrestled with and remembers so well, she says:

鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to get as much or as little out of your education as you want to, wherever you land. Soak up as many opportunities as you can by saying yes to everything you鈥檙e able to. At no other time of your life are you able to have such a variety of experiences that you can try and leave behind just as easily. Dive in; you鈥檒l discover a lot about yourself and your interests in a low-stakes way. People change careers or make big life changes as adults; that鈥檚 different. When you鈥檙e in college, you have more flexibility to change your mind and maybe discover that 鈥淎ha!鈥� moment when you really figure out what you want your life to look like.鈥�