Eric Waldo
Civic Nation
Washington, DC USA
"[A well-rounded education] is like having a passport for multiple careers. Part of getting your education is to stamp that passport and say that you can speak across these issues."
Career Roadmap
Eric's work combines: Education, Politics, and Learning / Being Challenged
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I think life is about how comfortable you are with risk. In school, I wanted to be a good person and make a difference, so I settled on becoming the one thing I could think of that accomplished those things, a doctor, even though I wasn't passionate about it. I had to learn I was comfortable with risk and pursue a different path.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Comparative Literature
Brown University
Graduate Degree
Education, General
Harvard University
Doctorate
Law
University of Chicago
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Born in Birmingham, AL, to a Jewish father and Puerto Rican mother—he describes himself as a “Jewish Puerto Rican guy who was born in Alabama and grew up in Cleveland.”
2.
Growing up, he says he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life because he was interested in so many things.
3.
In college, he was on the pre-med track until he took a class called “The History of American Education,” which he says sparked his passion for education reform.
4.
Participated in a program called Summer Bridge, where college students teach underserved high school students—says he fell in love with teaching and working with young people.
5.
Moved to Boston right out of college; he worked as a market researcher, which he hated, but it paid enough for him to take acting classes at night and pursue his interest in theater.
6.
When 9/11 happened, it changed his perspective and forced him to rethink how he wanted to make a difference—he decided to pursue his master’s in education policy and go to law school.
7.
Worked on the presidential campaign of one of his former law professors, Barack Obama, serving as an attorney on his transition team and later as Deputy Chief of Staff for the Department of Education.
8.
He is now the executive director of Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher initiative at Civic Nation, working to inspire every student in the U.S. to complete their post-secondary education.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I'll just be a doctor.
How I responded:
I think life is about how comfortable you are with risk. In school, I wanted to be a good person and make a difference, so I settled on becoming the one thing I could think of that accomplished those things, a doctor, even though I wasn't passionate about it. I had to learn I was comfortable with risk and pursue a different path.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
The Obama campaign was so stressful that I ended up developing alopecia and losing all of my hair.
After Barack Obama won the presidency, I found out on election night that I had to move to Washington D.C. to work on the transition team. I had to sleep on a friends couch before I found somewhere to live.
I've had several career switches. I started out on a pre-med track in college, but then found my interest in education. Along the way, I've dabbled in market research, theater, law, and politics. Each transition has informed my next move.