In this installment of Five Questions, find out how an NNSA Graduate Fellowship, polyglotism, the Beehive State, and deep song lyrics have influenced Policy Analyst Kendall P.
What does a Policy Analyst do and what are the top skills required to excel in this role?
As a Program Analyst I support senior leadership by assisting in the development and implementation of office policy and procedures. I also serve as a lead for the document correspondence processes and provide a variety of administrative and management support functions to ensure day-to-day operations run smoothly for the office.
One of the most important skills for this position is organization. Managing your calendar and the calendars of others, tracking multiple tasks and deadlines at once, coordinating correspondence timelines, and balancing competing priorities in this position all require consistent attention to detail and good time management. Being well organized helps with all of that and ensures that the customers are receiving the quality service that supports them in their roles.
You were an NNSA Graduate Program Fellow. How did you get selected for this program and what did you gain from this experience?
I first learned about the NNSA Graduate Fellowship Program during my final year at school. The program had reached out to Utah State University because they had several previous fellows that had also come from there and they wanted the student body to be aware of the opportunity. After graduation I was completing an internship in France when a Google Calendar reminder that I had set nearly six months prior reminded me that the application deadline for the fellowship was approaching. I just went to the page, uploaded my cover letter and resume and that was it. I didn’t think I had a great chance of getting in because I wasn’t a nuclear engineer or scientist, but I applied anyway and I was surprised to have been selected for a few interviews and then in early December of 2022 I was accepted into the program.
Before joining the program, I only had a surface level understanding of the mission and organizations involved but during the fellowship we were often told “You’ll be drinking from the fire hose” and that certainly proved to be true—there was a great deal of information to absorb in just one year but it provided me a strong foundation to continue in this field.
I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as an NGFP Fellow and provide my skills in this field.
You speak four languages. What do you find most enjoyable and most challenging about learning a new language?
For me, one of the most enjoyable parts of practicing languages is reaching the point where I can naturally express myself. There’s something deeply satisfying about being capable enough to write my grocery list in French, or to complain in German, or give my dogs commands in Spanish even if they don’t know what I’m saying. I’ve also always enjoyed learning about the history and the unique eccentricities of languages. I think those details give a language the most unique parts of its character and provide insight into the people who speak that language and their culture.
The most difficult part of language learning varies depending on the language. With Spanish I would say that the sheer number of verb tenses is the biggest challenge for me. While the conjugations do follow patterns, understanding when and why certain tenses should be used is not always intuitive to me. For German, grammatical case is something I still work on regularly. It’s a linguistic feature that modern English largely lacks, but one that is common in many other languages have.
French is difficult in a unique way. Speaking is often less difficult than people expect, though pronunciation can still be challenging. Many conjugated verbs and nouns sound nearly identical in speech, but the written language can be much more difficult because spelling often does not closely reflect pronunciation whatsoever.
You earned your BA and MA from Utah State University. What was your favorite part of your time at this university?
My years at Utah State University were very formative for me. It was a chapter of my life that taught me a great deal both academically and personally. As it is for many people, I made lifelong friends during my time there who are still a part of my life. It was also there that I found my deep love for languages as well as anthropology, archaeology, and folklore.
I also especially appreciated the literal environment of USU and Utah. I love the snow, I love winter, and I love the mountains and we have a whole lot of that out here. I’m biased because I’m from here but I stand by it. There’s always something to do too because there’s so much nature readily available. Hiking, fishing, snow shoeing, and skiing in the winter are all easy to access and it’s not uncommon to suddenly decide you want to go up the canyon, hike up to the Wind Caves on a moment’s notice, and bring your buddies with you.
What is your all-time favorite band, movie, or book and why?
One of my favorite bands is The Oh Hellos, a brother and sister folk-pop duo that has a very distinctive sound and, I think, a lot of lyrical depth. This brother and sister are the face of the band, but their music often incorporates full string ensembles and choir vocals which I think is unique and recognizable about them. I really appreciate the amount of literary and cultural allusions that they have in their music. Their lyrics are the kind that you can go back to multiple times and think on and find new layers of meaning or look up and find new references. Many of their songs reference literary works, Greek mythology, and the Bible, which I think is cool. For example, they have 4 albums named after the four Greek gods of the winds.
My favorite album of theirs is “Dear Wormwood.” On that album “Soldier, Poet, King” is a real earworm, and I love that in the middle of it is this country rendition of Camille Saint-Saens “Danse Macabre,” which is a wild song already, but to hear it through the lens of modern American folk music is really interesting.
