As a SC&I undergraduate student during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kiran Sheth COM’23 said managing her classes and internships digitally led her to dream of a professional career that could be both transformed by and focused on digital technology.

Always interested in pursuing a career in communications and politics, Sheth prepared by majoring in Communicationand minoring in Digital Communication, Information, and Media (DCIM) at SC&I, and minoring in Political Science in the School of Arts and Sciences.

To further prepare, she strategically selected internships to help her gain professional experience, and held internships with The Syndicate, Fox News, the Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics, and the Communications Office of NJ Governor Phil Murphy.

Her strategy, hard work, and dedication paid off: today, Sheth is the Press and Digital Aide on Governor Phil Murphy’s communications team.

In our interview, Sheth describes her responsibilities and what a typical day in the Governor’s      Office is like, she shares her thoughts on the differences between working in the public and private sector, and describes how SC&I helped her achieve her goals.

Please tell us about yourself.
KS:  I earned my bachelor’s degree in Communication and minored in DCIM and Political Science to set myself up for a career in government communications. When I was a senior, I took an internship with the Governor’s communications team, and that internship extended into a full-time role, where I’m now the Press and Digital Aide for the team.

Describe to us what your role as the Press and Digital Aide for the Office of Governor Murphy looks like.
KS: I help run all of our official social media accounts and work on the Governor’s press team.     It’s a 24/7 position - in an environment like this, you’re often working evenings, nights, weekends, holidays. It’s just the nature of the job. The Governor needs to be made aware of, and be able to respond publicly and quickly, to pretty much anything that happens in the state. My role is primarily to be the liaison between him and the public.

I also act as a spokesperson, so whether that’s giving a quote to a reporter, or writing a press release my role is to communicate how the Administration feels and what the Governor’s     reaction is to the public about whatever the situation may be.

Alongside your Communication major, you double minored in DCIM and political science. How has this strategy aided and developed your professional career since graduating from SC&I?
KS: These minors played a huge role in setting me up for my professional career. I was in school during the pandemic, so it was important to be learning about digital communication at that time, because so many of my classes became zooms and my tests became online exams. I was enrolled in DCIM courses and it was really eye-opening to learn that some people have remote and hybrid jobs, and can work with people that live across the world. Understanding how important the internet is in connecting people and helping facilitate work definitely inspired my interest in going into a role that has to do with writing and social media.      

Taking on a political science minor helped me see the overlap between communications and politics. These subjects, combined with my SC&I major, led me to realize I could pursue a career where those topics intersected, which led me to the role I’m in now.

Did SC&I prepare you in other ways for a career in government communications? Were there any classes you took or professors you had that were notable in this?
KS: Throughout my four years at SC&I, it was such a welcoming space and I was able to really get involved in the things that I wanted to be involved in. I was the Vice President of Lambda Pi Eta, which is the Communications Honor Society. That was an incredible opportunity to network with other communication students and learn about what they were interested in, bounce ideas off each other, and build a community.

Professor Mark Beal at SC&I was definitely one of my favorite professors. He aided me in getting one of my first internships ever, which was at The Syndicate, and was constantly sharing different opportunities with his students. Just knowing that the professors are looking out for you and helping connect you with roles that you’re interested in is incredible.

What does working in the public sector/public service involve, and how does this differ from the private sector? How did SC&I prepare you for working in the public sector?
KS: The public and private sectors use whole different vocabularies. The terminology that is used for the private sector is completely different from what I hear and how I speak in my role. People in the private sector often take on projects and big endeavors that are months and months long.

In contrast, in my experience working as a civil servant, everything we do is different every single day, and when we’re talking about our objectives and our goals, they are for two hours from now, not months or years down the line.

I think working in public service is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling jobs you could have. Although the private sector is typically more lucrative, the public sector offers a unique opportunity to directly impact people’s lives and make positive change. It’s nice to know that everyone around you has the same mission to serve the people of New Jersey, and everyone cares about making a difference and improving people’s lives, and that’s why we’re all here, more so than anything. My team is so incredibly hard working and generous. Nothing compares to the feeling of knowing your work is uplifting the communities around you.

What advice would you give incoming SC&I students hoping to work in the public sector or federal politics?
KS: Take every opportunity that comes your way and be very open-minded. Study abroad. Network with the professors and fellow students. Try every avenue and expose yourself to as many professional and academic experiences as possible, so you can narrow down what actually feeds your soul and your passions. SC&I provideseveryone a great foundation for whatever you want to go into, so make sure you take the time to figure out what feels more like a passion project than work. Keep your mind open to all the possibilities that are out there, because I could never have even dreamed of having the job I have today.

Learn more about the Communication major at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website.