Latin School of Chicago

Julie Sarne '12 Julie Sarne credits Latin with stirring her passion for policy and current events. Sarne is an associate at Hamilton Place Strategies (HPS), a public policy consulting firm. Her work mostly entails strategic communications for clients and might include leading media outreach or social media support, engaging with reporters, or creating resources for media and the public. "I'm interested in the intersection of business and policy," Sarne said, which is reflected in her portfolio of economic development, international trade and financial regulatory clients. Sarne's curiosity in these areas began with history class. "I loved history, and some of my favorite teachers were from the history department." Sarne especially enjoyed eighth-grade social studies and an AP history class she took junior year. "Both teachers [of these classes] really connected history to present day," she said. "At Latin, so many teachers and advisors were supportive of civic engagement. It made an impact." Sarne was selected to serve as an organizing fellow on President Obama's re-election campaign in 2012 and then went on to study public policy at the University of Michigan, graduating with a B.A. in 2016. Sarne also gained valuable communication and leadership skills at Latin. "I took a Middle East class my senior year, and the final was a simulation of an international crisis. I was assigned the role of Supreme Leader of Iran. It was totally outside my comfort zone. I had to research and adopt this leader's position for the simulation. But it made me more comfortable engaging with views that are not my own and positions that I do not necessarily agree with," she said. Sarne also participated in the extracurricular activity LIFE (Latin's Initiative for Ethics). Her senior year, she was a co-chair of the organization, and her responsibilities included helping select speakers for the program. "LIFE really allowed me to feel confident in my ability to speak with these individuals," she said. During Project Week, Latin students toured Sarne's office and engaged in a minimum wage debate with several of Sarne's colleagues. "My coworkers were very impressed with Latin students. ey were articulate, asked great questions and had creative policy suggestions." Chloe Himmel '04 Like Sarne, Chloe Himmel's progression through several executive branch agencies began with her volunteering for the Obama campaign in 2008. She attributes some of this to good timing, having graduated from Tulane University that year with a free summer, allowing her time to devote to the campaign. But she was also fortunate to land a position with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a special assistant to the White House liaison when her boss on the campaign followed Obama and brought her along. "I found it very helpful to have already met [in high school] people from different countries, who spoke different languages and practiced different religions." – Chloe Himmel '04 "My coworkers were very impressed with Latin students. They were articulate, asked great questions and had creative policy suggestions." – Julie Sarne '12 34

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