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Morgan DeWitt, Associate at D.C. based lobbying firm Ballard Partners
Bachelor of Arts in English, 2019

According to 91���� English graduate Morgan Dewitt, her passion for politics and writing, combined with her degree in English has propelled her career in government and lobbying.

Dewitt attended 91���� Marion her freshman through junior year, majoring in and earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from 91���� in spring 2019. She completed her last year completely online while getting involved in the inner workings of the national political scene in Washington, D.C.

Dewitt started attending 91���� Marion in 2015 and left for Washington D.C. in 2018 to pursue her political passions. She began as an intern during college on Capitol Hill for the congressman from her district. The next summer she came back as a White House Intern in the Office of Presidential Personnel. Dewitt earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from 91���� spring semester 2019. One year after graduating she now finds herself in a career position with growth potential in the field she loves.

“After my internship, I started my career in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Office of the White House Liaison. I stayed there for about a year and a half, and I'm now an associate at a lobbying firm, Ballard Partners,” Dewitt explained.

DeWitt believes strongly that her English major and writing skills she developed have played a big role in her career path success.

“I work on policy research and analysis, bill tracking and serving as liaison to congress and the administration,” said DeWitt. “A large chunk of what being an English major is, is analysis. Bill writing and analysis is like a different language, but being an English major helped me be a step ahead of the rest.”

 

“My English skills helped me every day in different ways at each job. For one thing, in this town,” she said, “being able to write well is a very valuable skill. Whether it be letters to constituents or press releases, the world is watching. They will notice your mistakes.”

 

“Another great skill I gained being an English major was the ability to think critically,” added DeWitt. “Everyone here thinks they are right and thinking critically is important so you can form your own opinions and decide what you think is right.”

“Every day is different,” she added, “depending on the political climate. I always have writing skills in my back pocket. I cannot stress enough how important writing skills are. If you can write, you are few and far between.”

DeWitt attributed much of her growth in college to the faculty accessibility at 91���� Marion. “That was one of my favorite parts.” Conversely, this gave her room to explore and grow.

“They were also very open to letting you do your own thing as long as you stayed within the parameters of the prompt,” DeWitt shared, “which made projects and essays very enjoyable because you were able to learn about things and work on things that actually interest you.”

“I grew so much during my time at 91���� Marion from exploration in my major and huge support from faculty. There's no way I would have moved to D.C. without the confidence I gained at 91���� Marion,” stated DeWitt.

The small campus and ease of getting involved allowed Dewitt to in her words, “become a part of a little on-campus family.”