For this term’s Blue Runs Deep Event, the Andover community welcomed back alums Daniel Arrigg Koh ’03, Sharyn W. Lie ’94, and Marc. L Shaw ’92 for a discussion on the topics of Government, Policy and Diplomacy.
Ginny Marshall ’25 was one student who asked panelists questions. As someone who has attended multiple panels throughout her time at Andover, she commented on the importance of these events for current PA students.
“I think it’s super interesting to see how Andover shapes people’s careers once they leave. I think [that] every single panel that I’ve been on, and also through the other events that I’ve done, I’ve really seen how Andover values of non-sibi, community, and curiosity really drive people long after they leave the school. It’s super inspiring for me to hear from them and also to talk to them. I think it fuels some of my own drive, and I think it keeps me inspired for life after Andover,” said Marshall.
She continued, “I think that people can gain a lot of perspective about what life is like after Andover, and just the strength of the community that you step into once you become part of the alumni body. So I think they’re super informative, super insightful for all students, current or past, to attend.”
Most recently working for the Environmental Protection Agency, panelist Lie explained how Andover prepared her well for her career, highlighting how it gave her the tools to adapt to a range of topics and required skills.
“I definitely think that having a broad background, educationally, is incredibly helpful when you’re trying to put yourself in other people’s shoes to understand how different programs and policies impact them. I’ve always been of two minds, which is why I pursued both an economics and geology degree… [While] I sort of fell into the policy side of things, just being able to look at different problems from different perspectives has been incredibly helpful. Having that broad background educationally really helps trying to communicate different challenges with different audiences,” said Lie.
Originally set on becoming a surgeon, Panelist Shaw has instead worked in the foreign service for over twenty years, completing several tours and more recently serving in the Department of State. Shaw advised students to instead become well rounded and take advantage of all of PA’s educational opportunities.
“You want to be prepared to walk through the door when an opportunity presents itself…I thought I would, of course, never write a paper after I left Andover, but for the past 25 years, I’ve been writing policy papers every day…Because I was at Andover and because they challenged me and because they sort of made us become well-rounded, I learned enough about a lot of things so that when the opportunity presented itself to come to the foreign service, I could sort of pretend that I knew what I was doing,” said Shaw.
As Deputy Assistant to president Joe Biden during the Biden Administration, panelist Koh was able to comment on the current political landscape. He emphasized the importance of continuing to seek out a range of news sources and to continue to actively participate in politics.
“We’re in a very concerning time in the way information spreads [and] who controls that information… I think the reality is that it’s incumbent upon all of us to be able to fight misinformation wherever we see it. The reality is we still trust our neighbors more than we trust the people that we talk to online, or the media that we see on TV. And I think it’s just incredibly important now more than ever that all of us stay engaged in the fight,” said Koh.
He continued, “I know everyone is very exhausted. Regardless of your political affiliation, people [have been] through a brutal election season and people are incredibly fatigued by politics, but now is not the time to remove yourself in politics. Now is the time to really move in and fight for the things that you truly care about and things that you want to see… At the end of the day, it’s communities like Andover, it’s communities where all of us are from and the people who live in our streets, who will listen to you. I think there needs to be more voices in the mix that care about facts and that people want to listen to.”
Reflecting on each of the panelists, Margot Furman ’25 reflected on part of the discussion which focused on the difference between working for the government for a career and working until a set date, such as working under a certain president.
“The career employees do it because they respect their country and want to make it better, no matter who’s in office. They do their best to influence policy in a way that they know is going to effect real-life change for the rest of our lifetimes…Especially [in] today’s political climate, for those who are working in these federal positions, it’s important that they do what they know is right,” said Furman.
