Dear Franklin family, meet Juliette!

  • Name: Juliette Cooper
  • Where from: Westchester, NY, currently living in Dublin, Ireland
  • Major at Franklin: History
  • Class Year: 2017
  • Current job position and institution: Policy Research Officer at Fórsa Trade Union, Dublin Ireland

"I attended Franklin because I was determined to see and learn about the world with first-hand experiences. I had just spent a summer in Switzerland at the home of family friends in Zürich and was enamoured with all things Swiss. When a friend of mine searched for colleges and found Franklin, she encouraged me to apply. Franklin’s academic travel courses and dual accreditation immediately convinced me this was the perfect way to achieve my academic and travel aspirations.

I started Franklin thinking I would be an International Relations major and left a fully converted History graduate. The History department, led by Dr. Marcus Pyka, spoke to the kind of critical thinking I wanted to learn. History at Franklin was not a linear succession of events. Instead, it was sphere of interconnected developments and change influenced by context, with the narrative we know changing along with the Historiography. In my professional experience the questions “what is the context and what are the sources” have continued to influence how I approach my work, whether it be when trying to understand resource distribution in my community, or when producing papers for campaigns in my current role.

After Franklin I spent four years working in education, first in the classroom as a teacher’s assistant and student tutor in Chicago Public Schools, and then as a project manager for a charter school in Brooklyn, NY. In 2021 I relocated to Dublin, Ireland to study for a Master’s in Public Policy at University College Dublin and I now work with Fórsa Trade Union as the Policy Research Officer at their Dublin head office. At Fórsa I’ve had the opportunity to create submissions for public consultations and publish papers internally and externally that advocate for our workers in the union. Franklin gave me the technical skill I needed to do this work, but more importantly the courage to pursue these opportunities internationally, something I don’t think I would have felt confident doing without my Franklin experience."

 

Gallery