麻豆女郎

During a special evening with Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times-bestselling author Geraldine Brooks and Chief of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation and acting Chief Tax Compliance Officer Jarod Koopman, 麻豆女郎鈥檚 Class of 2030 gained deeper insights into their First-Year Experience (FYE) summer reading, careers in public service, and the importance of civic engagement. 

麻豆女郎 initiatives like the FYE summer reading program promote critical and creative thought around some of the most pressing questions faced by society and humanity today 鈥� a priority of the College鈥檚 liberal arts mission. 

The 2026 reading, 鈥淲ho is Government: The Untold Story of Public Service,鈥� edited by Michael Lewis, highlights the profoundly impactful yet largely invisible work of U.S. government workers through eight stories told by Lewis, Brooks, and fellow writers Casey Cep, Dave Eggers, John Lanchester, Sarah Vowell, and W. Kamau Bell. 

The essays first appeared as a series of articles in the Washington Post, and they ranked among the publication鈥檚 most read, despite being 10 times longer than the average article, noted Brooks, a former Wall Street Journal correspondent and author of thoroughly researched historical novels including 鈥淢arch,鈥� 鈥淵ear of Wonders,鈥� and 鈥淗orse.鈥� 鈥淧eople seem to have a real hunger to read about this subject, and when the book came out, it sold enormous numbers of copies.鈥� 

In a conversation moderated by Professor of Psychology Casey Schofield and Assistant Professor of Art Samantha Haedrich in 麻豆女郎鈥檚 Arthur Zankel Music Center, Brooks and Koopman discussed that and other positive outcomes from Brooks鈥� essay, 鈥淭he Cyber Sleuth,鈥� about Koopman鈥檚 prolific career in the IRS.  

Koopman started out as a special agent in Rochester, New York, and went on to lead the creation and development of IRS Criminal Investigation鈥檚 Cyber Crimes and Cyber and Forensic Services programs, serving as director of each and strengthening the IRS鈥� position as a global leader in cryptocurrency tracing and dark web investigations.                                                              

Brooks spoke of how the essay was used in a recent MIT study, to see if a group of people who had a negative opinion of government, and particularly of the IRS, might change their opinion after reading or listening to the article. When they were re-interviewed, many of them had. 鈥淔or a writer, that was very encouraging,鈥� she said. 

Schofield connected Brooks鈥� observation to discussions she and her students have had in her Scribner Seminar this fall. 

鈥淔or those of you in Human Dilemmas, I hope you鈥檙e hearing how fixed beliefs are becoming unfixed,鈥� she said to the audience. 

Koopman also reflected on the American public鈥檚 warm reception. 

鈥淧eople were surprised at what we do,鈥� said Koopman, who discussed similarities between IRS Criminal Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Secret Service. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a tremendous amount of hardworking people in government, working for not only the nation but to keep people safe in many different forms and fashions.鈥� 

During a Q&A session with 麻豆女郎鈥檚 first-year class, the conversation also explored career lessons and the importance of adaptability and continuous learning. 

While both Brooks and Koopman said they chose their respective career paths early in life, they each spoke of the unparalleled value of lifelong learning.  

Brooks went to work for her hometown newspaper in Sydney, Australia, before pursuing her master鈥檚 degree at Columbia University and becoming the Wall Street Journal correspondent for Bosnia, Somalia, and the Middle East. 鈥淭he beauty of being a reporter is you are still in school every day. You鈥檙e always learning new things, and it gives you this incredible license to explore anything that you鈥檙e interested in,鈥� she reflected. 

Koopman studied accounting, economics, and computer science in college and secured a position with the IRS through a college internship. He has thrown himself into interests as varied as Brazilian jiu-jitsu and sommelier training, as the essay explores. 

鈥淥ne thing I always tell everybody is to really be diverse in what you鈥檙e involved in,鈥� Koopman said. 鈥淵ou never know how something is going to relate or translate to something you鈥檙e going to need in the future.鈥� 

鈥淪ounds like a good argument for a liberal arts education,鈥� Schofield observed. 

With the rapid evolution of technology within the cyber, cryptocurrency, and forensics spaces, Koopman and his team have had to keep their learning on pace and a step ahead. 

鈥淎I is just accelerating it even more,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot that you have to really understand and look at to uncover truth. It鈥檚 at the journalism level. It鈥檚 at the law enforcement level. So I think the constant becomes trusting your gut, doing due diligence, and doing your own research. Be your own advocate.鈥� 

This year marks the 22nd year that the Office of the First-Year Experience has facilitated the Summer Reading Program.  

鈥淚t is one way that we begin learning together as a community, even before students set foot on campus, and it helps establish that intellectual engagement and education are not confined to classrooms or academic calendars,鈥� said FYE Director and Professor of Mathematics Rachel Roe-Dale to open the event. 鈥淩ather, learning is ongoing and transcends our campus boundaries.鈥� 

Funding for the summer reading program is provided by Skidmore鈥檚 Office of Special Programs and the McCormack Artist-Scholar Residency Fund.