Life After UCSB

by Matt Goodwin

By the spring quarter of 2005, I had finished the credits needed to graduate and was working full-time at Nordstrom selling shoes and studying to take the LSAT. My skills on the sales floor matched my skills on the LSAT: uninspired. One night, peeling out of a logic-game induced stupor, I checked my email before bed. There, waiting for me, was a message from the Clinton Foundation about an available entry level position in scheduling and an invitation to apply? During the fall quarter I had sent my résumé in for an internship and, while nothing came of the internship application, they had evidently kept my name on file.

Characteristically, my mind raced with reasons this would not work out: I did not know what a “scheduler” did; I had limited work experience; sure, I was a political science major but that must be different than actually working in a political environment; the salary was definitely too small to live on in New York City; and, once I was pick-pocketed on State Street so I would surely end up mugged and homeless in New York. The threat of rejection seemed too high for my perfectionist sensibilities. I started drafting a reply of “thanks but no thanks.”

Then the image of feet flashed across my mind—hundreds of smelly, lumpy feet in ratty socks—just waiting to be fit with overpriced leather. I suddenly realized that, as much as there was a chance of failure if I applied for the job, so too was there a possibility that I might underperform on the LSAT, only to stay in Santa Barbara and sell shoe-buyers the socks to go with their loafers. Within 15 minutes I polished up my résumé, attached it to my reply, and pressed send. I had said, "yes, I would apply," and in the end I got the job. Looking back on the past three years I realize one of the most important skills I have learned in life in general and working for President Clinton is to say “yes” to anything which may be an opportunity for growth.

After two years in scheduling and another on Senator Clinton’s presidential campaign, I now work for a program called Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) which asks students to say “yes” to President Clinton’s call to action to become more engaged in public service. In 2009 we are holding our second Annual Meeting in at the University of Texas at Austin from February 13-15. Hundreds of students from every state and across the globe will attend because they will have made what we call a Commitment to Action. Since our inaugural meeting at Tulane in March of 2008, nearly 1,000 commitments have been made by students around the world. Commitments range from installing energy-efficient light bulbs and establishing bike-share programs on campuses to distributing life-saving water filtrations kits and designing medical backpacks for nomadic doctors in Africa.

While the deadline to apply for this year’s meeting has already passed, there are still ways to get involved. You can make a commitment and start working on it even though you will not necessarily be attending the meeting. Likewise, we accept applications from students to become Campus Representatives for CGI U—the individuals we consider our “eyes and ears” on any given campus. Log onto www.cgiu.org to learn more about these and other opportunities. You can also sign up there to receive email updates about CGI U so you will be the first to hear about the 2010 meeting.

Saying "yes" has been essential to my development since college. While I do not regret any of my time at UCSB (except maybe for Halloween of ’04) I wish I had sought and said yes to more opportunities like CGI U. I would encourage any student—honors or otherwise—to start earlier than I did. Say "yes" to CGI U. Say "yes" to making a positive change in your life and in the lives of others.

Matt Goodwin graduated from UCSB in winter 2005 with a major in political science, international relations.

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