Becky Bavinger

How would you describe your experience as a Wagner student?

Smart. Experienced. Engaged. Reflective. Obviously I'm borrowing that from Assistant Dean David Schachter, but it's quite apropos. At Wagner I was smart enough to take courses that interested me and use my assignments to further my knowledge of topics I didn't understand. I had a great experience interning at Doctors Without Borders, and was engaged with various student groups, from the International Public Service Association  to the intramural volleyball team. And upon reflection, I truly lucked out with an amazing capstone team and project, so overall I would say my experience was invaluable!

How did you find your first post-Wagner job?

My inner nerd helped me get a job offer.  I had become a Statistics tutor and helped Professor Jan Blustein update parts of the course materials. She must have been impressed with my work ethic because when she got an email from a former Wagner student asking for a recommendation for a 6-month position, she asked if I was interested! Within a few weeks, I had an offer from Bloomberg Philanthropies to fill that temporary position, which ultimately turned into a full-time position.

Describe your current job.

I currently work on the Public Health team at Bloomberg Philanthropies. We have several public health programs, and I work mostly on tobacco control, road safety, maternal and reproductive health, and on our drowning-prevention program. I'm responsible for supporting these programs in a variety of ways, from reviewing partner reports and grant agreements to meeting government officials in the localities where we work. It's an amazing job and I'm surrounded by incredibly smart and devoted people.