Eric Schultz, a Washington University alumnus and senior advisor to former President Barack Obama, spoke to students about his career path as part of Meet the Leader Series sponsored by the Gephardt Institute of Civic and Community Engagement and the Career Center in McDonnell Hall Wednesday.

Schultz graduated from Washington University in 2002 with a degree in political science and minors in writing and legal studies. Schultz previously spoke at the University as a part of the spring 2016 assembly series.

Before Schultz began his lecture, Dean Jill Stratton introduced him by emphasizing how his political career began at Washington University.

“I think he got his start in politics when he ran for speaker of [the Congress of the South 40] his sophomore year at Wash. U.,” Stratton said. “But even before that, his first year at college Eric was the president of Ruby-Umrath college council.”

Schultz opened by commending the Gephardt Institute and Career Center for the opportunities they provide Washington University students.

“I’m so impressed with what the Gephardt Institute has been doing. I was frustrated when I was an undergrad because I didn’t feel there was a lot of linkage between Washington University and Washington D.C. And if you wanted to go into business, or law or medicine, there were recruiters on campus, there was a really easy pipeline to do that,” Schultz said. “But if you wanted to go into government, politics or public service, you had to find your own way. And I think what the Gephardt Institute and what the Career Center has been doing under Amy [Heath-Carpentier]’s leadership is really impressive, and I hope you all feel grateful for that.”

Schultz then launched into a discussion about his path to the White House, condensing his experience into four key principles.

“The first [principle] is that, contrary to the myth, campaigns and political offices are true meritocracies. Wherever I’ve worked, I wasn’t surrounded by the sons of ambassadors or big major donors. I was surrounded by people who worked their butts off every day and earned their spots there,” Schultz said. “Every place I’ve worked, smart, hardworking people always rise to the top.”

For his second and third principles, Schultz underlined taking risks and focusing on the job at hand.

“I always dreamed of working in the White House, but I never charted that path to get there. What I mean by that [is to] focus on the job at hand. I always took advantage of the opportunities I had before me, and I worked my butt off in those specific roles,” Schultz said. “I wasn’t always trying to use things as a launching pad or looking for the next step. If you focus on the job as best you can, if you hit your marks, everything else will fall in place.”

Schultz revealed his fourth lesson to be simply about enjoying and appreciating the opportunities that you have.

“Anyone considering going into this line of work: You have to keep in mind the special kind of opportunities that we’re given,” Schultz said. “For all of us working in politics, it’s easy to forget that in the day-to-day scrum, that we have the potential to make an outsized impact on our country, whether that’s giving healthcare to millions of Americans who previously couldn’t afford it, or broadband technology to schools and communities that didn’t have it before, or setting up a nationwide mentorship program for men of color.”

In the latter half of the talk, students had the opportunity to ask Schultz questions through submitting notecards. The questions ranged from asking about the realisticness of the television show “The West Wing” to advice for transitioning from working at the state or local level to working in Washington D.C.

“I cannot say enough about working at the state or local level. I think that’s hugely important, especially in this environment where Washington is just so bogged down and is just in absolute gridlock. I think real change can happen on the state or local level. And that’s actually where a lot of change is happening on gun violence. I think the people who cut their teeth on the state or local level bring real value to Washington,” Schultz said.

Senior Yuval Pearl agreed with Schultz about the importance of politics at these smaller scales.

“I share the sentiment with him that it starts on the local level, and that people shouldn’t strive just to go to the White House and make changes as the president, but by working at the local level and electing mayors. Local elections are important,” Pearl said.

The event ended with Stratton asking Schultz what advice he would give to his 18-year-old self.

“I think just take a breath. I think everything is just so fast—and again it was 1998, and there weren’t even smart phones, but it was still really fast—and it must be on steroids right now,” Stratton said. “My advice would be to slow down and appreciate what you have and the relations that you have now.”

Schultz also emphasized the significant role career networking plays and the importance of building, and keeping, professional relationships.

“I can’t tell you how much of professional life will be network-driven and not necessarily your resume or your credentials. So building those relationships and keeping them [is important],” he said. “I’ve screamed at plenty of reporters, and every time I regret it because it’s not the long game. The newspaper is going to come out the next day and the next day after that, and if we’re not mindful of our long-term relationships and our long-term credibility then we’re being short-sighted.”

Senior Andi Rodriguez and junior Joey Vettiankal both enjoyed Schultz’s talk.

“I thought he was really humble, which is really refreshing to see. I’m hoping to maybe get involved in the political sphere some day, and it’s good to know that the kind of lessons I’m learning from Wash. U. now are going to be things that I can take forward,” Rodriguez said.

“I thought it was really informative and really authentic. I went to go see him two years ago when he spoke to CS40, and I thought this was a really neat experience, too, just because I am interested in working in D.C. eventually,” Vettiankal said. “I think [a big takeaway] was really taking advantage of every opportunity you’re given and also using every opportunity as a learning opportunity.”

In an interview with Student Life, Schultz shared how the University prepared him for his career.

“I think that Wash. U. was a good place to learn how to balance your schedule and your time.

I think Wash. U., especially the writing program, is really important. I was lucky enough to have several good writing instructors,” Schultz said. “There’s nothing like a job in a real office environment, but the skills of listening and leadership, working with others [and] problem-solving—those are skills you can work on and develop on campus that you can apply in the office.”

Schultz also encouraged students to take risks and work hard.

“My advice would be to get your foot in the door, whether that’s volunteering, an internship or just showing up,” Schultz said. “Just do your job, keep your head down, don’t have an ego about it, and you’ll rise to the top if you’re talented.”