Crafting Strategies To Aid Health Care Reform: Emma Eisenberg ’17

During her senior year, Emma was the director of placement for the politics department’s Winter Term Congressional Internship program. Since graduation, Emma has worked in two positions at the communications agency GMMB, first as a media assistant and now as an assistant account executive.

What was your academic focus at Oberlin?

I majored in politics and English during my four years at Oberlin. At the time, I don’t think I realized how beneficial that pairing would be for me after college, but looking back on it, I feel so lucky to have worked with wonderful professors across both disciplines who supported me and prepared me for whatever I decided to take on.

What exactly do you do now at GMMB?

As a member of the health care coverage team, I help craft and execute communications strategies designed to aid health care reform, lower prescription drug prices, enroll Americans in health coverage, and tackle children’s health issues for a variety of clients. Prior to joining the coverage team, I was on GMMB’s media team for the 2018 election cycle. I helped to plan, place, and execute successful media campaigns for clients, including the Democratic Governors Association, House Majority PAC, EMILY’s List, and Friends For Steve Sisolak, to name a few.

Do you enjoy working at GMMB?

I have absolutely loved my experience at GMMB so far; it is incredible to be surrounded by passionate, intelligent, creative people fighting for the same causes that I care about. I have learned so much from both teams I’ve been on. For example, I knew almost nothing about media before the 2018 election cycle, and by the time November 6 came and went, I was planning and executing media buys for our clients. I would say that I learned about 80 percent of what I needed to know on the job, not before. Everything I took with me from college was vital, but my willingness to learn fast and be thrown into new and different experiences was just as valuable.

Do you have any advice for Oberlin students who might be interested in pursuing a similar career path?

A lot of life is random. I drove across the country from California after graduation to move to DC and start a life here—without a job. That was a huge leap of faith, and in some other world, it might not have worked out in my favor. But because I reached out to my network, let everyone know I was looking and took about a million meetings all over DC, I made it work. When it came down to it, I took the job that (on paper) I was probably least qualified for. I am so glad that I did. As for my advice: Step bravely into the unexpected, take risks where you can, and have confidence in yourself.

Emma is not certain where life will take her next, but she’s excited for whatever the future holds. Her ultimate goal is to create real and lasting change for the causes she believes in.