Ryan Meares chats with alum Michael Jerakis
Michael Jerakis graduated from William & Mary in 2021 with a B.A. in Government and Public Policy. Growing up in northern Virginia, Mr. Jerakis was always fascinated by the DC metro area and issues regarding public transportation. He combined this interest and his passion for benefiting the public good into a career as an Associate in Regional Mobility and Infrastructure with the Greater Washington Partnership. In this position, Mr. Jerakis routinely coordinates with local nonprofits and other organizations in the area to garner support for policy proposals pertaining to infrastructure and transportation development. Typical responsibilities include, but are not limited to, grant writing, drafting memos for Members of Congress, reaching out to important players in the DC metro area for support, and researching positive and negative effects of proposed policies.
Various internships in state government throughout his time at W&M prepared Mr. Jerakis well for life after college. These positions helped him develop valuable skills, particularly writing and research, for use in analyzing policy. After graduation, he was offered a position as policy analyst and policy research associate for Business Network for Offshore Wind where he worked with environmental and energy policy. Although successful in this position, Mr. Jerakis eventually followed his passion for transportation policy and landed at his current job with the Greater Washington Partnership.
Introduction to Public Policy and his Public Policy Capstone dealing with the regulation of markets are two classes at W&M which were most beneficial to him as he began work in public policy after college. Involvement in Greek life, club lacrosse, and the Young Democrats at W&M allowed Mr. Jerakis to network and connect with others. Through these associations, he gained insight from peers about job opportunities, internships, and helped to define his career trajectory. In fact, Mr. Jerakis earned his first internship in state government after being urged to apply in the Young Democrats mailing list. Reaching out to W&M alums for career advice and “cold calling” for internships and job opportunities were also significant in his early job searches.
While Mr. Jerakis had his mind set on politics and working to improve communities around him, he still faced all the same struggles most students face when seeking employment. Despite some rejected applications and the uncertainty of life after college, he eventually ended up where he wanted to be all along. Motivated by passion and a bit of trial and error, he was able to explore policy career opportunities in both the public and nonprofit sphere across a number of different roles. Overall, Mr. Jerakis prefers to work in nonprofits that align with his views, as opposed to working in the private sector where you may need to lobby for issues and policies that go against your personal views.
Mr. Jerakis’ experience shows that regardless of the stress and confusion of applying for internships and searching for job opportunities; passion, persistence, and not being afraid to put yourself out there will often lead you where you need to go.
