The power of the network: St. Mike’s ‘Destination D.C.’ trip turns alumni connections into opportunity

Margrethe “Maggie” Frøland ’25 listened with rapt attention as Amy Hepburn, CEO of Investor Leadership Network, described her globally recognized work on social impact and sustainable finance during a 2023 trip led through Saint Michael’s College.

“(Maggie) turned and she looked at me,” recalled Ingrid Peterson, director of Saint Michael’s Boucher Career Education Center, “and she almost had tears in her eyes of, like, ‘I see myself here. This is where I belong.’”

That moment of recognition is exactly what Saint Michael’s Destination D.C. program was designed to create. Now entering its fourth year, the immersive career trip brings a small group of students to Washington, D.C., to meet with alumni working in government, nonprofits, international organizations, and policy institutes.

Maggie Froland ’25 delivers the undergraduate address during Commencement on May 11, 2025. (Photo by Sophie Burt ’26)

Hepburn, not an alum herself, attended the Destination D.C. event as a guest of Annie Rosello, who is. Rosello, Class of 1994, then helped connect Frøland and Hepburn. That introduction sparked a series of opportunities for Frøland.

And today? Frøland, who graduated in May, works full-time in her home country, Norway, on Hepburn’s team.

Destination D.C., a partnership between the Career Education Center and the Institute for Global Engagement, was created as a way to support “students in their development of global competencies for career and future readiness,” said Jeffrey Ayres, professor of political science and international relations and director of the Institute for Global Engagement, who co-founded the program with Peterson.

The program launched with a three-year Department of Education grant, secured through former U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy’s office – also an alum, from the Class of 1961. The grant covered nearly all costs, making the program accessible regardless of financial background.

While funding has now shifted to the Boucher Center following the end of the grant, the commitment to affordability remains. The 2026 program has slots for 10 students from any major, not just students focused on D.C. or international careers.

Small college, big network

Destination D.C. embodies what students and staff call “the St. Mike’s Way” — a culture of service and community that persists across generations and doesn’t end with graduation.

“All our alums want to do is help students,” said Stephanie Snell, Director of Communications and Alumni Engagement.

Peterson said she reminds students of this constantly: “Your network is everybody that you know, and everybody that they know. So it’s layers deep, and you don’t know who the people you know know.”

The key is telling people what you’re looking for, Peterson said, adding: “If they don’t know what you’re looking for, they can’t help you.”

Networking with alumni helps students get “more comfortable being uncomfortable” networking, Peterson said.

“Networking with alumni is a really safe place,” she said.

Saint Michael’s College students, faculty and staff on the 2025 “Destination D.C.” trip pose in front of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Connecting over shared Saint Michael’s traditions can also help break the ice.

“(Alumni) won’t ask you about your grades or your resume — they will ask you about if you still have Derby Day,” Frøland said.

Networking is increasingly critical in today’s competitive market.

“Life still comes down to the who-you-know factor,” Snell said.

Destination D.C. creates those opportunities.

“It’s so hard out there, so applying randomly to jobs is impossible,” Frøland said. “You need to know someone, and you need to meet them in such a way that they see your professionalism … your character. … This is how (the College) helps us get jobs.”

Outside the classroom

Destination D.C. also represents “high-impact, experiential learning,” Ayres said. Higher education is “so much today about getting students out of the classroom, connected, networked, meeting others. This is a great example of that.”

What distinguishes the program is the preparation, the access, and the informal faculty coaching woven throughout the trip.

“As we’re sitting on the train going from one place to another,” Peterson said she’s asking the students questions like: “What do you want that you haven’t gotten yet? Who can I introduce you to? … It’s almost like a career coaching appointment but … on the train.”

For Ayres, these informal moments — opportunities where faculty and staff can work directly with students whom they know by name — are what makes small liberal arts colleges distinctive.

“It’s a neat mentoring opportunity, which is what you get in a small liberal arts college,” he said.

Saint Michael’s students, faculty, and staff on the Destination D.C. trip in 2024 pose with alumni who met them in the nation’s capital.

Before the students head to the nation’s capital, they update their resumes. They create e-business cards to exchange with alumni. They learn about networking questions and professional etiquette. For the trip, students are asked to dress professionally — “pretty darn close to having a suit,” Peterson said. (The College will soon begin collecting clothing for a “career closet” to help students access professional attire.)

For Madison Powers ’26, the D.C. trip was transformative.

“I’m a country girl, and I’ve never left Vermont,” the Thetford native said.

When an ankle injury derailed Powers’ Saint Michael’s soccer career, Destination D.C. offered her a new opportunity. During the trip, the group visited the College’s Washington Semester Program at American University, where an alum, who’d done the program, spoke to the students.

“Madi was just like, ‘Yeah, I need to do this. I want to do this,’” Peterson said.

The Washington Semester’s program structure — “half internship, half classes” — appealed to Powers. The classes are hands-on and include visits to embassies and conversations with their staffs.

Powers, who graduates in May, is now on a path to attend graduate school.

“It truly has changed my life, and I’m in a place where I didn’t think I would be a year ago,” Powers said. A job in national security now “feels like it’s in reach for me … it no longer feels like a dream. It’s something that I could truly achieve.”

2026 opportunities

Ingrid Peterson

Applications for the four-day 2026 trip, scheduled for February 25-28, open January 15. The application link will be in the Daily Digest and emailed to students. Students will be asked to explain how this program will benefit them. The deadline to apply is January 30.

Powers encourages students considering the program to apply.

“Take the risk,” she said. “I took a risk coming here. I didn’t really think this was going to work out. I didn’t think I’d have these two great internships. And, now, I’m going into grad school … it really does pay off.”

Saint Michael’s is also offering day-long career events in Boston and New York during this winter break, where students can meet with alumni for networking and presentations.

“The alumni are really proud of Saint Michael’s, and they’re proud of the students that are there,” Frøland said. Wherever students have the opportunity to meet alumni, Frøland said, don’t be afraid to talk with them because they are “just are so happy to help you.”

Snell echoed this sentiment.

“Networking with our alumni should be the least scary thing (for students) because these are people that have your back,” she said. “And they want you to succeed.”

For Peterson, the value of Destination D.C. crystallized during the program’s first year, as she watched Frøland connect with Hepburn, the woman who would one day become Frøland’s boss.

“That, for me, was just a moment of: ‘OK, this is why I get out of bed and go to work every day, and why I work so hard to put these things together and make them a success,’” she said. “This is it. This is the connection.”