“My foray into law school was mostly motivated by the desire to do graduate work in some field, and an interest in law, policy, and governments. Unfortunately, law school is full of future lawyers, and also fosters an environment of competitiveness that was difficult for me to get excited about when my main motivation was making a difference. Milano fosters a much more cooperative atmosphere, while still allowing me to pursue interests in policy, governance, and making a difference.” – Stephen Glauser
Hi Stephen! Why don’t you start by telling us a bit about yourself: where you’re from, how long you’ve been in New York, what brought you to Milano. You know, awkward first date stuff.
I grew up in Potsdam NY, a small town Northwest of the Adirondacks. My parents live in Syracuse now, and I went to the University at Buffalo for my undergraduate degree in History, so I’ve pretty much lived all over this great state. I came to NY 5 years ago to get my law degree at Brooklyn Law, but decided that culinary school was more my calling, so I attended the French Culinary Institute in Soho, and have been cooking professionally for the past few years. I’ve wanted to go back to school for a bit now, and Milano’s EPSM program lines up well with my interests.
I see you’re currently working at the Russell Sage Foundation. Why don’t you tell us a little about the organization, as well as your role there? How have your studies at Milano helped you with your work there?
I initially applied to the job at Russell Sage not only because its an incredibly progressive institution, but also because I knew that I wanted to return to grad school, and a jump from the kitchen to the classroom seemed a bit ambitious. The Russell Sage Foundation funds research in social sciences in areas such as Behavoral Economics, Social Inequality, and Immigration. I work as a Program Assistant, and I get to rub shoulders with academics who are working on very pertinant research. I’ve found that the ideals of Milano and Russell Sage line up nicely and provide a multidisciplinary perspective for me in my education.
So you spent some time at law school, only to figure out it wasn’t so much your style. Why don’t you give us a little rundown of your time at Milano vs. your time in law school?
My foray into law school was mostly motivated by the desire to do graduate work in some field, and an interest in law, policy, and governments. Unfortunately, law school is full of future lawyers, and also fosters an environment of competitiveness that was difficult for me to get excited about when my main motivation was making a difference. Milano fosters a much more cooperative atmosphere, while still allowing me to pursue interests in policy, governance, and making a difference.
Your interests seem quite varied. In addition to your job at the Russell Sage Foundation, you are also interested in food security issues and policy. Has EPSM helped you reconcile all of these disparate interests? And the question everyone loves: what do you see yourself doing in terms of career once you have graduated?
EPSM has provided an awesome opportunity for me to combine all of my interests. There is also a Food and the Environment concentration that speaks volumes to my interests from the culinary world in terms of sustainability, access to nutritous food, and how to create better policies around food. I’m still figuring out what I’m going to do with the degree, but I’m excited that I’m narrowing in on something after floating around for the past few years.
Tell us a good story. It could be from your time at Milano, or just from your time in New York. Everyone loves a good story.
In addition to my work and studies, I’ve been a competitive ultimate frisbee player for years, including playing in a fledgling semi-professional league this past spring/summer. After getting a sweet picture on Sports Illustrated, (with school starting, and working at Russell Sage and cooking) I won’t be able to continue, but it was still fun to have been a part of something ambitious, even if a bit silly.
