John Purnell

Growing up, the career options seemed pretty limited. Most people in my neighborhood were typically teachers/educators, or they worked at a factory, or at the Nissan plant about 100 miles away. The idea of being an economist in the federal government? That wasn't even on my radar. I didn't even know a regulatory economist was a thing.

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But I heard, if you ever get an opportunity to go into government, that could be a door opener for you. It gives you a lot of lanes to find your niche. So when the opportunity presented itself, I took it, even though I didn't really know what to expect.

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I majored in economics and minored in computer science in college. After my sophomore and junior years, I had internship opportunities on Wall Street. Did very well in both, and was even offered an entry-level position there after graduation. But I chose not to do it. Why? Well, no one does that from where I'm from. I only knew one person in New York. It was too far out of my comfort zone, at the time.

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Instead, I ended up doing an internship with the Department of Defense in Crane, Indiana. Never heard of it in my life. The population is like 200 people. I built a database for them to keep track of shelf life and types of ammunition.

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After that, I was offered a contracting job in Iraq. I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of going to Iraq. So instead, for the next 14 months, I ended up working at Comcast, resolving phone and internet issues. Let me tell you, when people's service isn't working, they aren't the most pleasant. It was a tough time, but it taught me a lot about patience and problem-solving.

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Looking back, I realize how much my perspective has broadened since those days. At the time, I was just trying to figure out my path, step by step, even if it wasn't always clear where those steps were leading me.

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When I was working at Comcast, I ran into Mrs. Arlene Patel, who I knew from college. She worked for the Dept. of Homeland Security. Her job was to recruit people to different government programs, focusing on opening doors for students. She introduced me to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Resident Program. When most people think of TSA, they think of the officers at airports. But there's a whole other side. I applied to the program and ended up working as a regulatory economist.

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That was my foot in the door. And now, almost 13 years later, here I am, working as an economist at the Federal Railroad Administration. Most of my work involves completing regulatory impact analyses for safety regulations. I also review cost-benefit analyses submitted by stakeholders for various grant-funding requests.

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It's funny, even now, when I'm explaining to my friends and family what I do, they're like, “Okay, whatever.” Nobody really knows what a regulatory economist does. When I talk about working with grants that come out of programs like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or reviewing cost-benefit analyses, people's eyes tend to glaze over.

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But, I've found my niche. And more importantly, I've found a way to give back. I've been able to mentor interns through programs like the Summer Transportation Internship Program for Diverse Groups and the Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program. I've done this for the past five summers.

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I see myself in these young interns, especially the ones from small towns or small colleges. I remember what it was like to never have gone to a big city by yourself, to never have experienced those kinds of opportunities. You just know what's in your circle and your comfort zone. But what happens when you step out?

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That's what I try to show these students. I was that kid at one point.

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Now, I want to make the next generation more comfortable, so they can seize all opportunities and not just what they see day to day.

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It's not always easy. There are challenges and frustrations. But at the end of the day, knowing that my work contributes to positive change in our communities makes it all worthwhile. In public service, I've found not just a career, but a calling.

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Public service, to me, is about giving back. It wasn't always that way. If I'm being honest, I initially joined for the stability and benefits. It's one of those opportunities that presented itself, and I took it without really knowing what to expect.

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But as I learned my craft as an economist and started participating in internship opportunities, trying to work as an FRA diversity recruitment ambassador and connect with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) (I'm an alum of Tougaloo College), I found my lane. I realized, hey, I'm actually pretty good at this economist thing. I felt inspired to work with mentees, new hires, and interns. I felt empowered to go back to my rural area of Mississippi and let people know there are thousands of career opportunities that we are not exposed to.

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That's what I like most about my job - the opportunities it's given me to give back in my own way. I'm a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., which is huge on community service. I'm still active in the Rho Tau Lambda chapter, seated in Baltimore, MD.

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I have a personal mentee on our team who I've worked with for two years now. She calls me “big brother” all the time. If we go more than three or four days without talking, one of us is calling the other going, “Hey, what's our beef”' Then there are the interns I've worked with in the past who I still keep up with. One just called me the other day, and we chatted for an hour.

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What really gets to me, though. When it comes to these internship opportunities, I often see them recruiting from the same places. What about the schools that don't even know these programs exist? What about the students who never get the chance to apply because they don't know about the opportunity? That's where I'm trying to make a difference. I'm trying to leverage my connections, my knowledge of different schools, to get this information out there. Because if there's someone who's a graduate of Harvard, I don't expect them to know about an HBCU in Mississippi or Alabama or Texas. But I do.

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So that's what I'm putting on myself now. How can I better place myself in this network to get the resources and information to these schools? So that they at least know these opportunities are available, so they can at least apply, at least have the opportunity. To just know that the opportunity exists - that can make all the difference. Come October or November, that's when you're going to have to start throwing out the applications for next summer. How can we make sure more diverse candidates know about these opportunities by then?

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It's a work in progress, but it's work that matters to me. Because I remember what it was like to be that kid from a small town, not knowing what opportunities were out there. If I can help even one person see that there's more to the world, more to life than just the couple of things they see around them, then I'll feel like I've made a difference. And isn't that what public service is all about?

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