Millions of government workers over the past few weeks have found themselves in a position of empty inboxes, phones not ringing, and fingers drumming on the desk waiting for the next steps to take. The government shutdown has halted much of Washington, D.C.’s activity, and no one seems to have a clear answer. Since October 1, two million employees have been working with suspended pay and no clear end in sight. Baylor University has historically prided itself on postgrad employment rates, placement rates usually hovering around the 90% range. That includes a full-time job, graduate school, and the military. Of these many students who enter the workforce, a handful of them go on to work in Washington, D.C., either immediately postgrad or years down the line.
Baylor prepares students in many ways for success in the real world through cultural experiences, faith practices, relationships with peers and professors — the list goes on and on. What Baylor doesn’t (and can’t) prepare you for is a government shutdown, let alone one that threatens your job. When the idea came to me to interview government workers in D.C., I wanted to explore how Baylor prepared them for their individual careers. I was riding the elevator in Draper while texting a friend and former Standard writer about my idea, and he asked if I was going to address the government shutdown in my interviews. I quickly switched tabs, opened Safari, and simply Googled “government shutdown.” Article after article, having been posted mere minutes and hours prior, placed panic in me that it seemed the rest of the country was also feeling. When asked about the shutdown, however, my interviewees seemed not to break a sweat.
“I think … everyone is holding things very peacefully, recognizing that we can give guidance, and it may change within a few hours or by the end of the day, so just be flexible, be adaptable, be patient as much as you can,” said Zane Zovak, a 2019 Baylor alumnus. He now works in the Department of Commerce and has spent much of his time in D.C. focused on national security and Chinese foreign policy.
Two recent grads, as of May 2025, didn’t envision their first few months on the job involving a nationwide government shutdown. Caroline Williams, staff assistant for Texas Senator Ted Cruz, and Reagan Havel, staff assistant for the U.S. House of Representatives, both shared their thoughts.
“The entire office is still coming in because we’re still continuously working around the clock to help Texans because that is the senator’s priority. He cares first and foremost for Texans. … I really think everyone’s still happy to come in and do the work and realize that it’s a privilege to work for who we work for and just continue keeping on to save the country,” Williams said.
“I really think everyone’s still happy to come in and do the work and realize that it’s a privilege to work for who we work for and just continue keeping on to save the country.”
Havel drew the same conclusion about the attitude in her workplace. “Everyone on the outside is freaking out. But I think in this case, it just seemed kind of inevitable from the get-go. And I think it’s probably because the House passed their budget that things just seem less stressful over here, because we’re like, ‘we did our job.’”
Former U.S. Representative Jack Fields has worked in and around the government since he graduated from Baylor as an undergrad in 1974, and from the law school in 1977. His attitude was unwavering and one of someone who has seen the ebb and flow of government over the years. “Changing government is not bad. I believe God’s given us the greatest government that’s ever existed. And forefathers I think were enlightened by God because otherwise how could they have created a system of such good checks and balances?… So, when people look at our current situation and, you know, think, ‘Is this the way America is going to be?’ It’s not. It’s going to go back and forth. And that’s what our forefathers envisioned. And I think that’s the genius of our system. It all reflects back to people utilizing their right to participate and vote. People make the change.”
“So, when people look at our current situation and, you know, think, ‘Is this the way America is going to be?’ It’s not. It’s going to go back and forth. And that’s what our forefathers envisioned.”
These low-stress responses had me scratching my head on why there was no external panic or anxiety from them. Apart from the obvious lack of control over the turnout, the answer pointed back to their responses on what Baylor taught them and how the school shaped their lives.
Fields had nothing but kind words to say about the school. “I believe that everything that has a truth in God. God has a has a plan for everything. Baylor is a very important part of who I am and what I’ve accomplished. Without Baylor, none of that could have been possible. Baylor is a laboratory of success. Baylor breeds success. I’m very proud to say I’ve gone to Baylor. I never felt like I was ever outclassed by somebody from Harvard or Yale or Stanford or any of those schools.”
“Baylor is a laboratory of success. Baylor breeds success.”
Zovak’s response was not far from that, either. He bragged on the professors and the relationships that were formed over the years of his time at Baylor. “Something I take away from Baylor, it’s Thursday professionalism, but also emphasis on interpersonal nature and that only proves to be more and more true as I’ve left Baylor.”
A bit later, he mentioned the impact that Baylor’s faith culture has had on him. “Something that also was a key factor of my time with Baylor was having a church small group and community that could support you in all the different ways, but also just kind of keep you grounded. People that, even when other things that were out your control took a dip, reminds you that, hey, eternally, you know, things are still as they always were,” Zovak said.
Several of them also spoke highly of the bipartisan friendships and relationships that occur in the city. There’s the idea that Capitol Hill is constant arguments and backstabbing, but they were quick to shut that down.
“There’s a lot more bipartisanship than people ever realize, which is so cool … I mean you’re always going to find that, but it’s a lot less than what I thought. It also just depends on who and what you want to surround yourself with,” Williams said. It’s clear that Baylor fosters a sense of perseverance and groundedness that is often tough to find in a largely secular world, and especially in what can be a tense and fast-paced environment such as Capitol Hill. In the midst of circling questions like back payment, job security, and the future of the government, these Baylor alumni are in no rush to panic. Taking the lessons they have learned from their time in Waco to the workforce has left an ease in the air that is, without a doubt, impacting their work attitude for themselves and those around them.