My Journey to Harris

My name is Andy Wolanski and I recently joined the Harris School of Public Policy as a Student Recruitment Specialist. I’m excited to be here and I’m looking forward to contributing to the recruitment team’s awesome efforts in attracting a wonderfully diverse and talented pool of students! Before I begin reading and evaluating applications, I wanted to briefly introduce myself.

I’m so lucky to have been offered this position at Harris because it combines two of my core professional interests: higher education and public policy. Before coming to the University of Chicago, I worked at the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University as a Program Coordinator for the Learning Sciences graduate programs. It’s there that I developed a strong appreciation for the many eccentricities of higher education administration. Specifically, I was able to get a good sense of how the admissions and recruitment process works. I quickly realized how rewarding it is to sit down with prospective students and learn about their backgrounds, their interests, and their plans to help change society for the better. The energy exerted by prospective students can be contagious! I recently caught the grad school bug myself and started the part-time Master of Liberal Arts program at Johns Hopkins University.

Prior to my position at Northwestern, I received my B.A in Political Science from DePaul University using the G.I. Bill that I earned from five years of service in the United States Air Force. In the military, I served as a Satellite Communications Technician as well as an Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Technician during a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan. My years in the military, as well as my experiences at DePaul, sparked my interest in political science and public policy; an interest that has only grown over the years.

In my free time (which has become increasingly rare!), I love traveling with my partner of seven years, running, discussing politics with friends, and soaking up the sights and sounds of this wonderful city.

To close, even after a short period of time on the job, I know I made the right choice in coming to the University of Chicago and the Harris School of Public Policy. I’ve admired both from afar for many years. But now I’m here! Great things are happening on a daily basis at Harris and I’m a lucky guy to be able to experience them firsthand.