13:11:50 So, okay, I'm going to hit record.
13:11:56 Okay, I'm going to do a little intro and then
13:11:58 We'll get started. Does that work?
13:12:01 Okay.
13:12:03 Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for tuning in. We are going to do a little info session about the Kennedy Fellowship. So thank you for taking the time to listen to this.
13:12:13 So the Kennedy Fellowship is
13:12:16 going to be for 2025. And so if you're listening to this, you're interested in applying and the application deadline is quickly approaching as applications are due on November 29th, 2024 by 5 p.m.
13:12:31 Eastern time. And so hopefully this session will just give you some information about what happens
13:12:37 After you've applied and finalists are chosen. And so all the information can be found on the website where you found this video.
13:12:45 That includes where to apply, how to apply, and all the information you need.
13:12:49 So we're going to go through some questions and some answers that will help you navigate this process.
13:12:56 And so I'm Kim Noxtead. You have my email on that page. And that is where you can reach out for additional questions or accommodations in the process.
13:13:06 And Michael, I'll turn it to you to introduce yourself.
13:13:08 Thanks, Kim. I'm Michael Gam McCormick. I'm the Disability Policy Director
13:13:13 on the special committee on Aging for Senator Bob Casey from Pennsylvania.
13:13:20 Hi, I'm Sarah Mueller. I'm the Disability Policy Director for the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and I was a Kennedy Fellow
13:13:29 in 2020. Really?
13:13:32 Hi there, I'm Lily Heigl. I'm at the current Disability Policy Fellow.
13:13:36 or the Kennedy Fellowship. And I am working for Sarah Mueller at Senate Health.
13:13:44 Awesome. So you have
13:13:45 Former fellows, the current fellow, and all of us continue to help support each other through
13:13:51 You know, conversations, mentoring, and we hope to help the future fellow get placed as well.
13:13:57 So we'll go to our first question, and that is for interviews. So the finalists that are chosen.
13:14:04 come to DC for the interviews. So the question we get asked a lot is, do I need to travel to DC for interviews?
13:14:11 Would any of you like to answer that question?
13:14:13 Lily, do you want to answer that?
13:14:17 Sure. You will most likely need to travel to DC for the interview round.
13:14:21 if this is the case, further information will be provided to you about cost of travel if you are coming from outside of the area as the foundation will attempt to help cover that.
13:14:34 And interview timing will be early January 2025.
13:14:39 Awesome. And Lily got to go through all of that last year.
13:14:43 And what about moving to Washington, D.C. for the fellowship? That's another question we get. Is this a remote opportunity? Do you have to move to DC?
13:14:52 Sarah, do you want to answer that question?
13:14:54 Yeah, Kim, this is a full-time position in dc so
13:14:58 You do need to relocate to Washington, D.C. and be available to live and work in DC.
13:15:06 Awesome. And Michael, I'll go to you for the next question. One thing we get a lot is, is there a professional development and support? And that's something that, you know, I get outreach on a lot is I may not know anything. How am I supported through this fellowship?
13:15:20 I think there's lots of ways, Kim, that fellows are supported. One is the extraordinary network of former
13:15:29 And any fellows, there are literally scores of them and they are placed
13:15:35 Sometimes back in their home states or their home locations, but many of them
13:15:39 are here in Washington, D.C.
13:15:43 you can meet with them formally on a regular basis you can meet
13:15:48 with them in an ad hoc basis, but there are a tremendous amount of support. And in addition to that, if you're placed
13:15:57 say in a Senate office or a House office.
13:15:59 There are all sorts of supports that you can get. One of the most valuable, which is the Congressional Research Services.
13:16:06 Which we call CRS here, which can give you all sorts of information about any policy, any piece of
13:16:13 legislation on any set of regulations that take place at the federal level.
13:16:18 And then finally, if you're on the Hill especially, you have access to reach out to executive branch agencies and ask for information from them.
13:16:28 So there's tremendous amounts of both research that is available to you and support that's available to you.
13:16:37 Absolutely. It sometimes seems like, you know, it's just one fellow chosen every year, so you're on your own, but really there's actually a whole network of supports through this fellowship, which is great.
13:16:47 And in kind of our early logistics bucket of questions, the final question we get a lot is, I know nothing about federal policy. Is this still right for me?
13:16:57 Do any of you want to answer that question?
13:17:00 Yeah, I can, Kim. I mean, you don't have to be. When I became the fellow, I certainly had very little experience in federal policy.
13:17:09 But that doesn't mean that you aren't qualified to potentially be the fellow.
13:17:15 that's where you get to lean in on former fellows to learn from and
13:17:21 tap into the many resources
13:17:24 You know, that are available to fellows and it will be an opportunity for you to learn and grow professionally and become
13:17:31 more of a federal policy expert.
13:17:34 Absolutely. I also had very little federal experience. And so it's
13:17:39 It's fun to jump right into it
13:17:42 drink from the fire hose.
13:17:44 So our next group of questions are things that we often hear from as folks are going through the application process, but also especially once they become a finalist. And that's really pay and benefits.
13:17:55 of the fellowship. And so first to just say it out loud, this is a paid opportunity.
13:18:02 And so biggest question we get is, is there a stipend and how much is it?
13:18:08 Lily, do you want to take that one?
13:18:10 Sure. The stipend is $100,000. The stipend is
13:18:16 That is the amount before taxes or benefits. So after taxes and benefits, depending what you do and we'll
13:18:22 talk more about that in a couple of minutes.
13:18:26 your take-home salary will not be $100,000, but
13:18:32 that is the starting place for everything.
13:18:35 Perfect. And I'll explain a little bit the
13:18:39 the other aspects of it. So sort of the how do you get paid, you know, some folks choose to get paid as a 1099
13:18:47 contractor and we wrap that money through a variety of different ways. That means you're paying self-employed taxes. That means you're responsible for getting insurance either through the marketplace or through a significant other, a spouse.
13:19:01 You are required to have health insurance as part of getting a stipend. And so if you choose
13:19:07 you know, a 1099 contractor and get paid that way, then you are responsible for getting your health insurance. So as Lily said, you know, your take-home pay is not $100,000. You have to think about allocating it appropriately.
13:19:20 Another option for pay is some folks work out a negotiation with their current employer to get their pay routed through that current employer. That means they maintain their benefits, taxes are taken out, and they essentially continue getting a paycheck
13:19:34 that might be different than their current paycheck, but they continue getting a paycheck in a similar way.
13:19:39 And so there are multiple options for pay and it's worked out and negotiated with each fellow individually. There's not a one size fits all model.
13:19:50 And so the next question we get is how do I get health insurance? So we kind of explained it, but I know Michael or Sarah, do one of you want to kind of elaborate a little bit more on that?
13:20:01 I mean, you can get health insurance in a couple of different ways. Certainly, you can get it through the marketplace.
13:20:09 If you were living here in DC, there are options in the marketplace that you can
13:20:14 for different types of plants.
13:20:16 Some people have a significant other or a spouse where you can have
13:20:20 your health care added to their plans.
13:20:24 as well.
13:20:26 to be very clear what Kim just said, you have to have health care to be in the fellowship.
13:20:32 And that the foundation itself does not provide that health insurance. So other arrangements have to be made there.
13:20:41 Exactly. So those are some kind of technical questions, but they are really, really important. And again, it is a paid opportunity and we work with the chosen fellow to really go through all the logistics of it.
13:20:52 And it is a little bit different each year. I know many of us on here all had slightly different arrangements.
13:21:01 So then the other big questions we always get is, well, where do I work? Am I just placed somewhere and it's that easy? Well, not exactly.
13:21:10 So the biggest question is, how do I find a placement? Sarah, do you want to dig into that one?
13:21:16 Yeah, sure, Kim. So yeah, once you're selected as the fellow
13:21:20 You still need to find a job and find a placement.
13:21:25 to whether that's on the hill with the congressional office or a committee
13:21:31 or in the federal administration or with a national nonprofit. Those are typically the places where fellows have been placed previously.
13:21:40 And as we've said before, we have a network of fellows who help support a fellow in deciding
13:21:47 where might be the best placement? And so the foundation will work with the fellow
13:21:51 on different options and you then have to go and interview and talk to those placements
13:21:57 to see if it's the right fit for them and the right fit for you.
13:22:02 Yes. And a number of us here have either hosted a fellow or we've been placed. And again, Senate offices primarily. We've had folks on the
13:22:13 House side, we've had administrative, really a whole gambit
13:22:18 Another question we get is, can I work once I'm in DC, I found my placement, can I work remotely?
13:22:26 Lily, do you want to answer that?
13:22:28 Sure. As we mentioned earlier, the expectation is that you are living and working in DC.
13:22:34 But remote work is really handled on a case-by-case basis, depending on what your placement is.
13:22:40 if your placement has a remote work policy for telework a certain number of days.
13:22:46 That is something that is an option. And if you are in an office that does not allow that.
13:22:52 then that is the policy that you will follow.
13:22:57 Exactly. And I know we are in times where remote work is more common, but there are still many places, especially in the federal government, where there's a lot more in office, especially on the Hill.
13:23:08 You're there with the member. And so that's just something to think about when you're applying and kind of coming into this.
13:23:15 What about vacation and sick days? Michael, do you want to take that one?
13:23:18 Yeah, much like the policy that would be for remote work, it would be dependent upon the office that you're in.
13:23:26 Some offices have
13:23:28 very generous sick days and vacation days. Others are a little bit more limited.
13:23:34 But your sick days and your vacation days and any personal days are
13:23:40 would be dependent upon what the policy is in the office where you're working.
13:23:46 Perfect. And then the other thing that comes up, which typically isn't asked early on in the fellowship, but has come up midway through fellowships is
13:23:57 What if I don't like my placement?
13:23:59 This is rarely a question at this stage, but it has happened where placements and the fellow just don't work out. Something happens.
13:24:08 And that's life. Jobs don't work out. Things happen.
13:24:14 Do any of you want to take this question of what happens if the fellow and the placement don't work out?
13:24:22 Hi, Ken, Kim. Yeah, I mean, things happen. And so it's always really important to be
13:24:27 very honest and communicative with the foundation as early as possible if you as the
13:24:35 the selected fellow feel like the placement is the right fit and the placement also needs to know that they can communicate with the foundation as well if it's not the right fit.
13:24:44 And then the foundation will work with you as the fellow to find an alternative placement. As Kim said in the past, this has come up and
13:24:51 and alternative placements have been found and fellows have been able to kind of switch midway through and seamlessly continue and finish out their fellowship.
13:24:59 But really, it's important that if you are in that situation and you know very early on that this isn't the right fit for you.
13:25:05 Whether that's the office environment.
13:25:08 or the issue areas aren't really making
13:25:10 aren't comfortable for you or you're struggling to find the right groove that you are communicating that with the foundation as early as possible.
13:25:20 Yeah, and we don't mean to scare you that things don't work out often. It's very rare that that occurs.
13:25:27 But if it does occur, there is the flexibility to talk about another alternative placement. And also, it's one of the reasons to think
13:25:35 during the placement process.
13:25:38 how good a fit there is with the office and what you want to get out of the
13:25:42 of the fellowship experience.
13:25:46 Yeah, I think of it almost like medical school, like matching for, you know, you want to, it's not just about, oh, I'm getting a job in this really cool place. Is it the right fit? Is it the right match? And because it might be the best spot in the world, but if it doesn't match up with what you want to do or your future.
13:26:02 It's not going to be, it's not going to work out long term. That was a great addition, Michael.
13:26:08 Lily, I'm going to kick this last question to you since you're at the end of your fellowship.
13:26:13 What happens after the fellowship?
13:26:17 we look for jobs.
13:26:21 My understanding is amidst the vast network of former fellows.
13:26:27 that folks stay in the policy arena in a lot of different capacities and
13:26:33 a lot of fellows stay in DC. And as mentioned earlier, some go back to their home states and
13:26:40 do really wonderful work there. But the fellowship
13:26:45 does a lot of capacity building for you in the year to open a lot of doors and create a lot of opportunities.
13:26:51 and help you hone in on what kinds of things you might want to do after the fellowship.
13:26:58 You'll probably look for a job again.
13:27:03 Absolutely. And I'm sure you spent a lot of your year networking, meeting people
13:27:08 spending time doing that, which is part of the fellowship is coming to DC if you're not already here, meeting a whole bunch of new people and spending time in a space you haven't been before.
13:27:19 So Michael, Sarah, do you want to add on to that at all?
13:27:25 I would just say you're certainly not alone in that process and that you should
13:27:30 utilize everybody that you have met throughout the year in your network, including the former fellows in the foundation to support you in finding what the next place is, whether that's in the federal
13:27:41 landscape or at a state.
13:27:44 level. And, you know, the foundation is here to support you in kind of launching you into the next part of your career in disability policy.
13:27:54 And if it's any comfort at all, you're looking at three former fellows who all found
13:28:02 work on the Hill after their fellowship.
13:28:04 him and Sarah and myself, we're all in that position and
13:28:09 In my case, it has been here for
13:28:11 almost 15 years now.
13:28:15 Exactly. It does happen.
13:28:19 Well, thank you everyone for staying with us for some of these questions. Please reach out to the emails that are provided on the website if you have any final questions as you're submitting your applications, we are here to support you. We are so excited for everyone to apply.
13:28:33 And we hope this has been helpful in the final days. Thanks for tuning in.