Ruth Howell was settling into her new job as a Management & Program Analyst for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Budget Office under the U.S. Department of Commerce, a position she attained through the Presidential Management Fellowship Program, when the UW Career Center sat down with her to learn about her career history and future. It was an exciting time for her and she was full of enthusiasm for her new responsibilities.  Her enthusiasm was actually two-fold.  Not only was this an exciting and dynamic career opportunity for Ruth, it was taking place right in the middle of the transition to the Obama Administration and the vortex of activity that was taking over in the Washington D.C. area for the historic Presidential Inauguration. Ruth Howell recalls a “regular” day near her Washington D.C. job when she noticed a familiar trail of vehicles and later thought to herself, “That was probably Obama’s motorcade.”

Receiving a Bachelors degree in Biology inspired Ruth to continue pursuing her interests in the Marine and Coastal Biology field by landing a research apprenticeship at the Friday Harbor Marine Lab. The focus of the apprenticeship was on marine conservation policy and implementation, which Ruth explains as a process of, “applying science to policy making and creating positive change based upon well-informed scientific management”. The apprenticeship allowed Ruth to “stretch her wings and lead a project” towards a final goal and she also discovered that she really enjoyed working with community partners on marine projects.  

Having enjoyed her work with policy, Ruth decided to apply to the master’s program at the UW’s School of Marine Affairs.  When looking back on her journey, Ruth felt four aspects of her graduate school experience were critical to her career and professional success.

The first was earning an Environmental Management Certificate through the UW’s Program on the Environment.  In the certificate program, graduate students from across the university collaborate to tackle real-world problems with profound policy, scientific, and business ramifications.

Ruth’s second critical experience was serving as a Henry Luce Fellow while in the Environmental Management Certificate Program.  As a Luce Fellow, Ruth led a group of six students on a year-long project that investigated shoreline homeowners' stewardship ethic and barriers to shoreline restoration. Results included publication and distribution of first shoreline neighborhood newsletter, presentations before local government representatives, and write up of survey findings

An additional experience that helped Ruth was serving as the President of the Coastal Society in which Ruth organized monthly events and meetings for people who were interested in marine and coastal issues. As President of the Coastal Society, Ruth received the benefit of being able to connect, share ideas, and network with others who share the same passion for marine sciences.

Finally, Ruth considers her engagement with the UWCC and the Career Coordinator at the School of Marine Affairs as critical components of her success because she was given access to many opportunities that she probably would not have been exposed to otherwise.

The UW Career Center service for which Ruth is most thankful is the Dependable Strengths Seminar, which she found to be very helpful towards vetting out her strengths and ultimately identifying those skills that would make her happy on the job. The version of the seminar she took was especially developed by UWCC staff members for graduate students and gives students the tools to be able to look for a job in a different way. “You spend so much time in your job and you want to make sure that you are happy”, says Ruth. One of the primary things this seminar does differently is that it looks at the jobs you have had in the past to identify what has made you happy and then you are better able to apply those lessons towards future decisions. The seminar asks the following questions: (1) What are you good at? (2) What are you happiest doing? (3) How can you apply those things that make you happy?

Ruth has also been able to help others figure out what it is they want to do by asking these three simple questions. In addition to various UWCC seminars, Ruth worked with the Career Coordinator at the School of Marine Affairs to help with the application and interview process for the government job she now has.

A day in the life of Ruth Howell consists of analyzing NOAA’s budget and answering information requests from Congress and the White House. Ruth loves her new job and has made a successful transition from Biology to Policy with the help of the UWCC and other campus resources. Ruth hopes to maintain the same level of excitement about her position for many years to come in the same way she will remember seeing President Obama’s motorcade for the first time.

- Written by Ingrid Butler