Eliza, third from left, with classmates during her semester in Washington, D.C.
Eliza, third from left, with classmates during her semester in Washington, D.C.

Short Feature with Volleyball Senior Eliza Donohue

Senior Eliza Donohue, a policy and management and social and political history double major from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, answers a few questions about student life at Carnegie Mellon, talks about her internships, what she's excited for during spring semester, how she decided on her major, and what she's enjoyed about Pittsburgh.

1. What do you enjoy about campus life?

I have always enjoyed the sense of community that I feel at CMU. Everyone is passionate and competitive about what they study and it's a unique experience to be at a college surrounded by such a high level of dedication.  I am always interested in the research that my friends are doing and always love hearing about what they are achieving.

2. What do you get involved in outside of volleyball?

I am active in Greek life in the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. I also was able to be a part of the Washington Semester Program for my Spring 2017 semester. CMU sends a handful of students each semester to Washington, D.C., to take classes and intern. CMU provided me unique opportunities to expand my comfort zone and network.

3. Tells us about any internships you've had?

I have been lucky enough to have had three internships while at Carnegie Mellon. My first internship was my freshman summer and I interned at the Pennsylvania Immigration Research Center in York, Pennsylvania. I worked for the non-profit legal team and used excel to create a donor database as well as accompanied the lawyers as they taught legal classes to inmates at the county jail. My sophomore summer, I interned with the Ross Township Municipal Center Parks and Recreation Center and created a cost-benefit analysis and policy plan to combat the Township's loss of revenue on their baseball fields. My most recent internship was from January until August of 2017 in Washington, D.C., and was at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in their National Operations Department. I used Smartsheet to create reports, schedules, and manage events for project leads as well as update the museum's website. I also got to work the high-profile events for donors to the museum which were always fast-paced and fun.

4. How did your internships help form your career decision?

I learned valuable lessons at each internship about what I wanted in a career. I realized through my most recent internship at the Holocaust Memorial Museum that I loved group-work, probably stemming from my extensive time on a team, and that this is something that I really wanted in my future. Also working at the museum showed me that I loved Washington, D.C., and really wanted to live there after graduation. I am lucky enough to be working in D.C. next year with a new team.

5. What are you excited about this spring semester?

I am a senior so I am very excited to spend as much time as possible with my friends before we graduate. I also will be moving to D.C. after graduation to start my job as a Security Analyst for Accenture. I am really looking forward to enjoying these next few months and getting ready for life after college.

6. Why did you select your course of study – what class have you enjoyed the most?

I came in to CMU undecided and chose to major in policy and management my freshman spring. I liked that I could take classes on economics and business without being restricted to only business options. I decided to double major in social and political history sophomore year after realizing I was filling all of my gen eds with history classes and really loving them. 

7. What class would you recommend someone take?

I really enjoyed my Body Politics class with Professor Lisa Tetrault. Anything taught by her is going to be incredibly eye-opening and informative.

8. What have you enjoyed about living in Pittsburgh?

I have a lot of family who live in Pittsburgh so I have loved being able to visit them more often. Pittsburgh also has great restaurants and food options. I have loved attending events downtown like Penguins or Pirates games as well as the Christmas events in Market Square in December. CMU students also get free admission to Phipps Conservatory and the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural history so I have loved spending a lot of time in both of these beautiful institutions

9. How do you want people to remember you when you graduate?

I want people to remember me as someone who worked hard while still having a lot of fun at Carnegie Mellon. I have really enjoyed investing my time in my studies and relationships at CMU and have made many good memories. I would want people to remember me as a fun-loving and good person.