The Washington Scholars

Women of Achievement

June 1, 2011

 

Greetings!

There are 87 female members of the 112th United States Congress and four female members of the Executive Office of the President.  Four female Justices have donned Supreme Court robes, four women have held the title of United States Surgeon General, three women have served as United States Secretary of State, and one woman has represented the United States as Attorney General.

 

The Washington Scholars Fellowship Program ("WSFP") strives to help young women grow and develop in public policy careers, in an effort to see these numbers steadily increase.  Members of the Washington Scholars Ladies' Class arrive in Washington, DC as college students, "bright eyed," as WSFP founder, Rear Admiral James C. Carey [Ret.] describes them, filled with ambition and dreams of changing the future of our nation.  WSFP provides the tools necessary to grow, develop, learn, network, and succeed in our nation's capital.  The intelligent, determined, hard working young women that have graduated from the WSFP have already begun to do extraordinary things.

 

In the short history of the Washington Scholars Ladies' Class, our graduates have gone on to advanced degrees, non-profit organizations, public policy roles, employment within the Executive Agencies, staff positions with members of Congress, private consulting, and other private industry.  Each quarter we will present the story of how one female Scholar has planted herself firmly within the public policy making arena through utilization of the tools WSFP provided her. 

 

Comments and suggestions are more than welcome.  Please feel free to contact [email protected]
Chairman's Message

Rear Admiral James J. Carey, Ret.

 

Welcome to another issue of the Admiral Carey Foundation's newsletter, Women of Achievement, recognizing some of the very best and brightest young women who are involved in one or more of our foundation programs or projects.  In this issue, Hanna Slomianyj of the Washington Scholars and the U. S. Dept. of the Treasury is featured as she is truly one of the Washington Scholars outstanding success stories.  I urge you to forward this issue to friends and colleagues who have an interest in young women becoming future leaders of our nation as this newsletter can be a GREAT way of introducing them to the tremendous opportunities that we help make possible for young women through the Washington Scholars Program.

 

The Admiral Carey Foundation is continually adding new programs and projects over time with a view towards training young men and women in leadership roles in national and international public policy and America's future.  If you have a daughter, granddaughter, or niece that seeks to be involved in running our country at a relatively young age, we can show her how to do just that.  Square One is to punch up the Washington Scholars URL at www.WashingtonScholars.org and apply for the program.  As you will see from the article about Hanna Slomianyj, that very simple first step can be the pathway to success, just as it was for Hanna.

 

With all good wishes,

 

Rear Admiral [Ret.] Jim Carey, Chairman
The Rear Admiral James J. Carey Foundation, Inc.
Founder, Washington Scholars Fellowship Program"

 

A Woman of Achievement:  Hanna Slomianyj   

Hanna Slomianyj

Like many of my peers, I was unsure where I would land after college.  Having started my college journey as a math major and graduating with a degree in business administration, I thought I might enjoy a career in financial services.  Though I graduated near the top of my class with excellent references, I found that jobs are difficult to come by in a recession!  At the suggestion of my family, I pursued an internship to bridge the gap between university and a career.  My acceptance to the Washington Scholars 2009 summer class took me beyond bridging a gap; it provided me with an opportunity to actually start my career.

 

Washington Scholars provided me invaluable advice and mentoring.  I became part of a well-established network of successful DC folks who understand how the Federal Government and Capitol Hill operate. With the guidance of the Washington Scholars Fellowship Program, I secured an internship at the Department of the Treasury.  During the third week of my internship, my supervisor made a formal job offer and explained that I would be coming in through the Federal Career Intern Program (FCIP), which I knew nothing about.  As far as I could tell, I was being asking to be an administrative secretary.  Fortunately, my mentors in Washington Scholars provided me with amazing support, guidance, and knowledge, and explained to me not only the position but the benefits of accepting such a prestigious role in our Federal Government. Talking with them I learned that it was almost unheard of for a fresh college graduate to secure employment doing anything other than an entry-level, front-desk position in a government agency. 

 

As it turned out, my supervisor at Treasury fought for me to get a higher pay scale grade than was typically offered to new college graduates-all because of my unique and diverse resume, a resume vastly enhanced by my participation in Washington Scholars.  In addition, one of my Washington Scholars mentors encouraged me to pursue a security clearance.  I hesitated because I did not believe my duties warranted one.  The process is long and difficult, requires an in-depth investigation, and comes at a high cost to the government.  I did, however, bring up the idea with my boss.  When my supervisor asked me why I thought I needed it, I explained that I thought it would be valuable for my long-term career path.  She agreed and I am now even more valuable to the Department of Treasury and to any and all future employers.

 

This success, and the value I bring to every job and assignment, is based on the lessons I learned in the Washington Scholars program, and, more importantly the fact that the program helped me find a direction in life that college never gave me.  From the start at Treasury, I came early and stayed late, learned as much as I could, and taught myself how to stop saying, "I don't know" and start saying "I'll find out." Even though I have "front office" responsibilities, I have earned the opportunity to experience so much more because I expressed to my superiors my interest in budget analysis, project management, leadership development, and general policy creation. My office has even helped me develop my professional capabilities by attending the USDA Graduate School.

 

Taking on new responsibilities has been both challenging and rewarding. I am now working much longer hours and have learned how to get results and answers immediately. For my efforts, I am privy to meetings that end up in the Wall Street Journal and I hear about news before it happens.  It's thrilling!  Due to the nature of the work of the Deputy Secretary, I am also receiving a much higher security clearance.  My first job showed me the nuts and bolts of the federal government.  Now, thanks to my application of the lessons I took to heart as a member of the Washington Scholars, I am seeing the OTHER side - I get to witness policy being made!

 

From my desk I can see the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, and the White House.  I watch the President's helicopter take off a few times a week.  When I get off work at the end of the day there are tourists taking pictures of my building - it's one of the oldest in the city.  I love living in the DC. This whole place is run by young people and everyone is intelligent, ambitious, driven, and politically involved. It's fantastic. I have continued my relationship with Washington Scholars as a donor and as a member of the management team. I learned more about networking and selling my talents. I have a leg up on my peers because the Washington Scholars gave me skills I could have never learned in college and placed me in a professional environment into which so many college students rarely get to set foot. With this start, I cannot wait to see what the future has in store.

 

________

 

Hanna Slomianyj works at the Department of the Treasury where she is a Review Analyst in the Office of the Deputy Treasury Secretary.  She has served in this capacity since October, 2010. Prior to that time, she was an Administrative Support Specialist in the Office of Privacy, Transparency, and Records.  Ms. Slomianyj graduated summa cum laude from Meredith College with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration in 2009. Immediately following graduation, Ms. Slomianyj came to Washington, D.C. and served as the Admiral Carey Chair for the Study of Finance and Fiscal Stability, as well as Vice President for the 2009 Washington Scholars Fellowship Summer Class. 

 

 

About the Editor

 Rebecca Soll, Esq.

Becky SollRebecca Soll was the President of the first Washington Scholars Ladies' Class in the summer of 2007.  She is an alumnus of the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Virginia, School of Law.  She has two Bachelor of Arts degrees, a Juris Doctor, and is licensed to practice law in the State of California, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

 

Rebecca is the Future Leaders For America Chairman of Women's Programs and serves as a mentor to several current and past Scholars.  Rebecca is an attorney with the policy-focused law firm of Patton Boggs, LLP, in Washington, DC, where she works with ever changing international and export laws and regulations, as well as with the complex world of government contract laws.  She has developed her practice to compliment her public policy interests, just as so many other Washington Scholars graduates have done.