Allison (Frederick) Barycki didn’t know for sure that she would work in Washington, D.C., after she graduated from Penn State. However, being a high-achieving student and a former Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Honors Scholar, Barycki had built a career network while in college that eventually led her to her current career.
Barycki is now a Senior Event Producer and Creative Director at Bond Events in Washington, D.C., a boutique event production company with political, nonprofit, and corporate clients. She manages the programming, logistics, strategy, technical production, and overall design of these events, and loves the variety that comes with this work. She also recently started a new role as Director of Events for the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE).
Barycki, like all young graduates, needed to find a way into this industry in order to achieve her career goals. Barycki’s internship experiences at Penn State became crucial parts of her transition into professional life. During her time as a student, Barycki was part of the Division of Development and Alumni Relations internship program and spent a semester working for the Trust for the National Mall as an Annual Giving intern. This was Barycki’s first professional experience in Washington, D.C., where she would eventually end up for her career.
The contacts she made from her internship experiences were an “invaluable” resource, according to Barycki. They eventually connected her with EMILY’s List, where she became the Fundraising and Events Assistant and eventually Event Manager, prior to working for Bond Events.
Barycki still uses those skills daily to work with her clients, but maintains that being in the workforce is the only way to truly prepare students for the workforce after graduation.
As is evident from her own personal experiences, relationships are essential to any career. However, Barycki warns students not to get discouraged if they don’t find that opportunity right after graduation. She emphasizes being proactive in reaching out to contacts within their support network.
Being a young college graduate searching for jobs is difficult for anyone. However, in building a base of contacts and experience while still in school, students can achieve what Barycki did in her time at Penn State and have a network to lean on to help complete the stepping stones toward a dream career.