Her Story
About Alyssa
Alyssa Kapouralos is a sophomore at the University of Connecticut pursuing a double major in political science and economics with a focus on policy and government-related fields, including an interest in law. In addition to her studies, she holds the position of Speaker of the Senate in student government, having been elected as a freshman. In this role, she appoints student representatives from various campus communities, facilitates policy changes with university administration, and serves as a bridge between the administration and the student body of over 20,000 students. Her passion for advocacy stems from personal experience caring for her special needs brother, which inspired her to volunteer with autistic and special needs advocacy groups and start her own group at the end of high school. She was also selected for the Wirth Institute's remote internship cohort of eight women focused on innovation and entrepreneurship. Alyssa attributes her success to her passion for advocacy, the inspiration from family, and mentorship from the previous speaker who guided her as a freshman. She values creating a sense of community and belonging for diverse groups and advises young women to advocate for themselves and others while remembering their goals.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Alyssa
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my passion for advocacy and the people I've learned from the most. My brother being special needs inspired my work to pursue something in policy. I've done volunteer work with autistic and special needs advocacy groups and started my own at the tail end of high school. Having a great mentor, the last speaker, who mentored me as a freshman to run for the position.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice is to not be afraid to pivot and meet new people, reach out, cold call, and simply just connect with other people to find out more about different perspectives and career paths. It's very easy in college to get imposter syndrome and pigeon yourself into one specific path. View every mistake as not an error, but just a lesson.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Remember who you're working for and what you're working towards. Think about what the future you want would look like. Not being afraid to reach out to people, not being afraid to get your name out there. There's no downside to advocating for yourself, advocating for others, advocating for female spaces.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is that it can be intimidating because policy work fields can be male-dominated. A lot of political science classes are predominantly male. The biggest opportunity is that we need more women in policy, more lawyers, more interns at DC, more female advocates, so there are lots of opportunities to grow and include more female voices.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Making sure everyone feels that sense of community in some way. The goal isn't to make everyone feel the same but for people to just feel like they belong in whatever capacity. Working with diverse communities on campus, make sure everyone feels heard in the way that they need. Advocate for others, advocate for yourself.
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