Sislo-Schutta is able to live her values through her work at a D.C.-based PR and marketing agency.
Bri Sislo-Schutta (B.A. ’21) graduated with a double major in strategic communication and political science. Even with COVID disrupting her final two years of college, she was able to pursue a couple of important internships, which helped her land a job as an account executive at BerlinRosen in Washington, D.C., where she develops integrated campaigns for advocacy groups across many areas: digital, social media, email, web support—and/or on the earned media side, outreach, and pitching.
You are a fairly recent grad, coming out of “an unprecedented time.” What was that like and how did it influence what you wanted to do?
My last internship before I graduated was with Congressperson Ilhan Omar, which was just a couple of days after the Jan. 6 insurrection. It was a really exhausting time. Our class had to quickly transition from in-person to offline instruction, and it was also coming off the summer of 2020, which was—for me, as a Black woman—a very heightened time. I was leading a lot of advocacy in my communities and starting to lean into skills I was learning in school, too. I wanted to combine social justice and advocacy work and the tactical things I learned in the j-school.
What other experiences put you on the path to your current job at BerlinRosen?
My first internship was with the Met Council, working on the Southwest light rail project. I learned way too much about construction and had no experience with what it took to build a transit project. But I learned how to take a complex, hard-to-understand topic and synthesize it and make it easy to understand to a community who might be impacted by light rail construction. The topic might not have been where I saw myself in the future. But it helped me when looking for my next internship, getting closer to my issue areas. The congresswoman had an opening. But with COVID, the internship ended up being virtual. It was really interesting, having that work-from-home perspective but also able to learn about The Hill and how it works. It gave me strength when I came to Washington, D.C. Every experience gives you new things you can take with you in your career.
What has your professional experience entailed?
I discovered BerlinRosen, a firm based in New York with an office in D.C., and it does a ton of issue advocacy work. They were hiring. I applied and after rounds of interviews I was able to get a job as an account coordinator. The exciting thing about client services is the variety of issues, organizations, and people you get to touch. I’ve gotten to work with some legacy civil rights organizations and really cool Black-led reproductive justice organizations. I ask: How can we leverage our tactics and skills to help them to achieve their goal? For example, I had a client arguing in front of the Supreme Court and we leveraged people power to the Court to show that strong base of support. That was really cool work I never thought I’d have the ability to do at this point in my career. I’m exposed to so many great minds.
How do you translate those skills into finding a job?
It was all about the community and connections I built both at the Hubbard School and outside it. Professor Amy O’Connor is the reason I have my job. She knew my interests and passion and connected me with alumni to figure out the next steps. Meet as many people as you can. If you see someone you want to get to know, someone who went to the same school or came from the same hometown and has a job you’re interested in, reach out and try to build a connection. More often than not, people say yes.
The second part is preparing yourself for that conversation. Whether you’re on an informational interview or a job interview, come prepared with good questions about what you want to know. Get thoughtful and make the most of the time you have together. You never know what connection you might find. They might call you down the road or refer you to someone who is a better fit. Trust what you know. And you have to sell yourself, too. Talk about the amazing things you did, whether in Backpack or student government. Make people know what you bring to the table. Be really intentional and show up as your best self.
What do you think is different for recent or upcoming grads when it comes to work?
I think we’re at a time where the pandemic really changed how companies work: I’m probably one of the [first waves of] people who started fully remote and moved back in-person into the office. What’s exciting is that it seems that more than ever, folks are open to different possibilities for what things can look like. It feels like a woo-woo thing to say, but for me, I’m finding myself reimagining what the day-to-day can be and what is possible for the workplace.
How are you feeling about your industry’s prospects—and your own?
I think it’s a really big honor to have a company and a space that allows you to have those conversations and wants to bring younger voices and newer perspectives. For instance, I’m leading our firm’s DEI committee alongside one of our operations leads. It’s a lot of work, but when I step back and look at it, I feel honored, energized, and excited.
What do you think U of M grads bring to the national workforce?
I grew up in Shoreview. I’m always talking about how much I love the state. There’s so much talent in the Midwest. [I would tell Minnesota students] don’t lose touch with what that experience means, because your perspective growing up here is so different than a lot of people: This younger generation has lived through a racial justice movement whose origins are in the Twin Cities. Your advocacy and the way you show up in community because of what you experienced gives you a perspective that others don’t have.
Interview by Katie Dohman
