In Their Own Words: Alumni in Sociology

Blythe George '12

In my senior year at Dartmouth, I completed a Senior Fellowship on Native student achievement in the state of California from an interdisciplinary perspective. After graduating in 2012, I continued this work as a guidance counselor for a school associated with my tribe, the Yurok tribe of Northern California, and as a data consultant for schools in my home area. This fall I began my dissertation studies at Harvard University in their Sociology and Social Policy program, emphasizing in education and economic reform policy focused on poverty relief in Native and rural low-income communities. None of this would have been possible without the tutelage of the Dartmouth Sociology Department, and I am increasingly grateful as each day of grad school brings new challenges that my Dartmouth tools are learning to tackle!

Emily Carian '11

The wonderful classes I took at Dartmouth and my research experience with Professor Anthony convinced me to pursue a PhD in sociology. I've completed my first year as a graduate student at Stanford University. My research interests are always changing, but right now they include gender and social movements.

Andreea Gorbatai '03

I am currently an assistant professor at University of California at Berkeley, in the Haas School of Business, Management of Organizations group, after completing my joint degree (Ph.D.) in sociology and organizational behavior at Harvard in June 2012. Professor Campbell’s organizations course, the first sociology class I ever took, had a huge impact on my choice of career. 

Jessica Houston Su '02

I am very grateful to the Dartmouth Sociology faculty for their excellent teaching, support, and guidance, which inspired my career in sociology.  As an undergraduate I learned a great deal about Sociology from many faculty members, especially John Campbell and Denise Anthony.

After graduating in 2002 I worked as a market research consultant for three years, conducting quantitative research to help companies such as American Express, Pfizer, and HBO market their products.  I then switched gears and became a research and faculty assistant for William Julius Wilson's Joblessness and Urban Poverty Research Program at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.  This experience convinced me to pursue an academic career in Sociology.

I earned my Ph.D. in Sociology from Cornell University in 2014.  My research focuses on family demography, inequality, social policy, and child well-being.  I am currently an assistant professor at the University at Buffalo, SUNY.

David Trouille '02

 I just started a tenure-track assistant professor position in the sociology department at James Madison University, after finishing up my doctorate in sociology at UCLA this summer.



Chris Percheski '01



I am an assistant professor in sociology at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. I teach undergraduate and graduate courses on the sociology of families, and on demographic processes. My current research centers on understanding how changes in family structure are associated with inequalities in income, employment, and health insurance. I'm also involved in projects focused on understanding how the recent recession affected poverty and families in the United States.