Full Steam Ahead Retreat Reflections 2022

Designed for students with one year remaining at NYU Wagner, the "Full Steam Ahead" retreat offers time for reflection, forecasting, and skill building in an inclusive and collaborative environment. Read some comments below from students who took part in this year's retreat at the Puck Building on October 23, 2022.

Jeremy Bohmstein (MPA 2023)

I found the Full Steam Ahead Retreat to be invaluable. When I first entered Wagner, I was coming in as someone who was temporarily furloughed in a job that they were seeking to leave. I also had no experience or deep understanding of the public sector world. Each time I participated in a workshop or attended a seminar, the ideas around my identity as a public servant and how I wanted to use Wagner to build up my skill set became clearer and sharper. After two years and lots of rumination, I felt that I had thought about my future as much as possible and I was feeling fatigued. Yet, revisiting one of the first exercises I did in New Student Orientation, revising my elevator pitch as a graduating student, and using my fellow students to set up action steps for my career journey all brought new insights. I was able to appreciate and acknowledge all the work I had done, while still getting excited about the part of my journey yet to come. I feel ready to leave Wagner fully prepared to initiate the changes I want to see in the world.

Hanna Johnson (MPA 2023)

In the years I've spent at Wagner, I've especially come to cherish the chance to connect with and learn from my classmates. We're all so busy with work, school, partnerships, pets (or actual children), and enjoying NYC living. It's incredibly helpful to have dedicated space to reflect on where I've been, where I'm going, and to practice talking about my journey in new ways. I always get so much out of hearing my peers talk about the evolutions in their own journeys and I really appreciate the way Wagner is so intentional about facilitating these moments for us to be together, connect, and reflect!

Maggie Jean Knight (MPA 2023)

Attending the Full Steam Ahead Retreat was an opportunity to reflect on my time at Wagner, look to the future, and visit with my fellow Wagner colleagues. The event started with the same picture identification exercise we did on our first day at Wagner, giving us an opportunity to relay where we hope to go in our careers through imagery that felt unique to each student's story. It was particularly poignant to discuss what photo we had chosen at the beginning of our time at Wagner and what felt most applicable now. Perhaps the most impactful part of the day was discussing my future plans and the challenges that I am thinking of and planning for. It was incredibly helpful to voice these concerns in a group setting and conceptualize how to handle upcoming challenges as I finish my time at Wagner.

The event offered an opportunity to contemplate how my path has developed and changed since joining Wagner in a supportive and exploratory setting with fellow classmates as well as David Schachter and Rachel DuBois who have all become an important part of this chapter in my life. I hope future students take this same opportunity to pause and reflect in their final year, it was truly a useful and enjoyable experience.