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Eitan Hersh is a doctoral student in Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Eitan's research interests include the political behavior of ordinary citizens, campaigns and elections, and the American states. While most of his time is currently spent holed up in libraries and computer labs, Eitan hopes that his training will one day enable him to provide some useful insights into our political system.
As a 2005-2006 Dutko Fellow, Eitan worked as a research assistant at the Progressive Policy Institute, the policy wing of the Democratic Leadership Council. There, Eitan focused primarily on reading and writing about health care and immigration policy. Following his year as a Dutko Fellow, Eitan worked as a federal liaison for newly elected Massachusetts Governor, Deval L. Patrick. In that role, Eitan helped build a positive working relationship between the Governor's office and the Legislative and Executive branches of the Federal government.
Eitan studied philosophy at Tufts.
I've always been passionate about politics, but for a long time I couldn't figure out what to do with that passion. As a student at Tufts, I studied political philosophy and political science, but I didn't translate my studies into political action. Politics at Tufts seemed overly partisan, and that wasn't the kind politics I was interested in.
When I graduated, the Dutko Fellowship provided me with the outlet I had been seeking. My placement as a research assistant at the Progressive Policy Institute gave me an opportunity to think about tough political questions in an environment that promoted a moderate and thoughtful discourse. I was given challenging and exhilarating assignments. I worked on immigration policy at a time when immigrant groups and anti-immigrant groups were regularly protesting and lobbying just down the street on Capitol Hill. I collaborated on health policy reports, focusing my efforts on investigating policy innovations happening at the state level.
Even more important than my placement, though, the fellowship brought me into a community of brilliant Fellows and former Fellows who share my passion for politics and hold a variety of often competing political attitudes. Since they welcomed me into their cohort, I have become part of an evolving conversation about politics that takes place over email and at dinner tables, in Capitol Hill offices, and in Washington DC apartments. I have learned as much from this dialogue as from my formal interactions in Washington.
And of course, Deb Jospin and her family are at the center of this community. Deb provides the support and friendship that enables a young person just out of college to have confidence and success in the oftentimes harsh DC working world. Having a friend and ally like Deb from the first day I moved down to Washington was a real blessing and enabled me to make a smooth transition into the working world.
Following the Dutko Fellowship, I stayed on briefly with PPI, continuing to work on immigration and health care. In the Fall of 2006, following the election of Gov. Deval L. Patrick in Massachusetts, I was hired as a federal liaison to Governor Patrick's office. Recently, I moved back to the Boston area to pursue a PhD in political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
I am certain that I will always look back at my Dutko Fellowship as a key stepping stone in my career path. I am very grateful for having had the opportunity.
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