ACLS Director of Public Programs John Paul Christy and three former and current fellows from University of California schools each answer five questions about the ACLS Public Fellows program: how the program developed, how successful fellows prepared, and what advice these experts have for interested applicants. An important listen before 2016 fellowship applications are due on March 24!

In this episode, we speak with one of ACLS’s first Public Fellows, Laurel Voloder, who holds a PhD in Literature from UC Santa Cruz. During her fellowship tenure at the US State Department, she held two positions: Foreign Affairs Officer in the Office of International Religious Freedom, and Program Officer in the Office of International Visitors. Voloder used her fellowship to network with government employees, acclimate to work outside of academia, and learn about the application process for jobs in the federal government. She advises potential applicants, “it’s important to show that you're genuinely interested in public service as your first choice” and explains that host organizations may notice if the position they are offering is your Plan B in case the academic job market doesn’t work out.