How can I connect with La Follette and UW alumni?

Find Alumni Directly

  • LFS Alumni on LinkedIn — Search self-identified La Follette alums to see who works where, in what fields, and in which cities. A great starting point for outreach.
  • UW Language Alumni Profiles — Bios of alums working across government, healthcare, education, and more. Reach out through the department if you’d like to connect with any of them.
  • L&S Alumni List from SuccessWorks – To access it, complete the SuccessWorks Canvas course and you’ll get access to a list of alumni mentors who have opted in to help students like you.
    • One important note: these are L&S alumni, not La Follette alumni. If you’re looking for LFS-specific alums, refer to the first link above and also reach out to ask the Career Director for contacts

Once you find someone you’d like to connect with

Email the Career Director their full name and/or LinkedIn profile to see if the La Follette School has a personal email address for the alum. While you can certainly contact anyone on LinkedIn directly, many times busy professionals will not see your email whereas if your note pops into their inbox, you are much more likely to receive a reply.

How to Reach Out

  • Informational interviews are one of the best ways to connect — keep the focus on learning about their experience, not job-asking.
  • Good conversation starters include: “What drew you to your field after La Follette?” or “How did you make your first career move after grad school?”
  • La Follette alums genuinely want to help — a 15–20 minute chat is all it takes to get started.
  • Read the LinkedIn guidance here