Published May 2025 | Written by Maddie Starkey (COM’25)
As a political science major concentrating in public policy, Jaclyn Berman (CAS’25) found the process of securing a job difficult and overwhelming. With hundreds of applicants responding to the same job postings through LinkedIn and other job boards, the market is often extremely competitive. “You’re just one of so many names with good resumes and good experiences,” Jaclyn explains.
Fostering a connection
So, Jaclyn turned to BU Connects—the exclusive networking platform for BU students, faculty, staff and alumni—to get a head start on securing a summer internship. Due to the competitive nature of the process, she knew making connections would be a good place to start. She explored the profiles of numerous BU alumni working in the nonprofit, immigration, and housing sectors. One Terrier who stood out the most was Marcela Aguirre (Pardee’13), vice president of digital communications at the National Immigration Forum.
The important work of the National Immigration Forum piqued Jaclyn’s interest, and she jumped at the opportunity to reach out to Marcela. The two quickly scheduled an online meeting, and Jaclyn says that Marcela was incredibly helpful from the beginning. Jaclyn felt an instant connection with Marcela through their many shared interests, and was particularly inspired by the work Marcela and the National Immigration Forum did to pass common sense immigration reform. Marcela encouraged Jaclyn to apply to a summer internship at the organization, and Jaclyn credits that first meeting as what set her up for success when her application was sent in.
The result? Getting hired
By the time Jaclyn applied, she and Marcela had built a strong rapport and, with Marcela being one of the interviewers, Jaclyn was given strong consideration throughout the hiring process. Jaclyn successfully landed the digital communications internship, and credits Marcela in large part for helping her secure the offer. “Marcela was always very involved from the first time I spoke with her,” Jaclyn remembers. “I always felt that we were really connected and not just random people chatting online every now and then.” During the internship, Jaclyn gained valuable experience in the field of immigration policy and the nonprofit sector through responsibilities such as crafting social media posts, recording web analytics, and assisting with other operational tasks.
In this ever-evolving job market, professional networking is vitally important for job-seeking students. According to Jaclyn, connecting with alumni on BU Connects instead of simply cold-applying to hundreds of jobs helps to narrow the search. “It’s really easy to feel disconnected from people,” she says, “the more we are able to talk to each other about our experiences, the better we are at working with each other.”
Since joining BU Connects, Marcela has been pleasantly surprised at the desire from students to connect with her. “[I’ve been] very surprised at the amount of students who have reached out to talk to me about my career and wanting advice on different aspects of their own career paths,” she reflects. A proud alum, Marcela finds that offering guidance to her fellow Terriers has been a rewarding opportunity to give back to her community.