Catchin' Up With a Cookie: Patrick Soltis

Patrick Soltis

2009 Young Scholar, 2014 College Scholar, and 2020 Graduate Scholar, UC Berkeley

Can you start by introducing yourself?

Born and raised in southern Michigan, I've lived most of my adult life in Washington, DC, after moving there in 2014 to attend Georgetown University, with only a 1-year departure to get a masters at University of California, Berkeley (both degrees supported by JKCF). My career has been focused on enabling renewable energy through technology, business, and policy. I'm currently supporting a Virginia utility in designing demand-side management programs for the electrified future, starting with immediate solutions for data center service constraints. Before this, I supported the US Department of Energy in managing hydropower and grid research. In my spare time, I run large circles throughout the greater DC area (for exercise) and get commonly confused with a local pop rock artist to whom I bear an uncanny resemblance.

What does being a Cooke Scholar mean to you?

Being a Cooke Scholar means blazing your own path to improving the human condition, from whatever off-the-beaten-path place you started. For me, my Young Scholar cohort was the first group of peers that felt like a team for life. Somehow, between our different career callings and our varied origins, I very quickly felt like we were working towards some practical, shared purpose, although I’ve never quite grasped what that was. It’s getting to be in the room where it happens not because you know someone but because you know something. It’s proving yourself right just to vindicate everyone who committed to or took a chance on you. It’s getting FOMO for any community event you might miss because you know you’ll miss a conversation with a rising luminary in some field you hadn’t ever fully thought about. It’s the first group I really felt at home with; even with such great diversity within our community, there’s something that makes it cohesive, maybe the drive to improve things?

Tell us about a memorable moment in undergrad or graduate school.

In addition to the university, Georgetown in Washington, DC is now regarded as a fancy neighborhood, including the residences of some high-level government officials or influential policymakers. One weekend, I was rushing down the street to get to a restaurant where the local JKCF chapter was hosting an event. The restaurant was on Wisconsin Ave, which is easily walkable from Georgetown University, but of course I was running late. I enjoy running and was a competitive runner throughout high school and college, so when a little more speed can help keep me on schedule, I’ll often break into a jog. So I was jogging down the street, carefully going around the few other pedestrians I encountered. Suddenly, though, as I tried to go around one person, she stepped to the side on purpose to block my path! Who was this, purposely getting in my way? There was plenty of space on the sidewalk for both of us! I was confused and opened my mouth to complain, but then I noticed a few things. One, this woman was wearing a full black suit. Two, I was in front of the house famous among students for being the resident of a certain government official. Third, the resident of that house, Secretary of State John Kerry, was crossing the sidewalk not more than 6 feet in front of me, flanked by two men in full black suits, to get into a black SUV waiting at the curb. In the end, I was lucky that this member of the security detail was effective in keeping me from continuing to hurtle down the sidewalk, or else I might’ve ended up on the news and/or ruined my chances of ever having a career in government.

What is ONE THING YOU DID TO HELP TRANSITION TO YOUR FIRST YEAR OUT OF COLLEGE?

To be honest, the first few months after college were among the worst of my life. I don’t think I did much to help the transition, so I may be more helpful as an example of what not to do. Looking back into my senior year itself, I was trying to do too much. Between classes, a senior thesis, getting a new student club off the ground, and a new relationship, I was not dedicating enough time to other essentials like maintaining friendships and finding a fulfilling job. It’s true, many students don’t land a dream job or anything that looks like one right out of college. However, I had neglected to build a strong personal support network, so getting by while finding something in the months after graduation was a much more difficult and lonelier task than it could have been.

I stayed in DC with the belief that moving back home with my parents would cause me to lose career momentum and friendships. While it may have been the “right” career move in the end, my commitment to DC led to circumstances that were not favorable to career momentum or maintaining friendships. I was making just enough through a part-time, nearly minimum wage internship to cover living expenses. With little to spare for all but the most basic social activities, I lost track of most of the friends for whom I had stayed in DC. Worried about making ends meet, I focused most of my energy in squeezing every last dollar out of my uninspiring and uninspired internship, and found little time or energy to apply for jobs that were genuinely interesting or promised development of skills relevant to my career goals.

More than anything, I wish I had asked for help, both for career and personal life. Taking time during my senior year to familiarize with the university’s career resources, especially staff, would have gotten me comfortable with using those resources to get help. I found out later that many friends had gone through similar challenges and had been looking to commiserate, including some fellow College Scholar friends in my area who I simply had assumed were living somewhere else without checking. On the other hand, I got by because some college friends did offer help, often not those I would have expected.

What was the last show you watched that you really enjoyed and highly recommended?

The last book I really enjoyed was Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu. I can’t recall too much deep commentary on human nature, other than supposing how alienation and despair could set certain people on a dark path in a specific scenario. The story does, however, ask sublime questions about the nature of the universe, from vastness of space, to the dimensionality of matter, to the predictability of physics itself. Plot twists are shrewd, exploiting dramatic information asymmetry and galaxy-brained character motivations to arrive at a monstrous cliffhanger. I’m hoping to get a little further in the series before starting the Netflix show, so let me know if anyone has a copy of the second book!

If you were to create your own cookie, what would it consist of and what name would you give it?

This is a chocolate chip cookie, with batter including oatmeal but more of a blend of conventional cookie dough with oatmeal cookie dough. Dehydrated strawberry chunks may be mixed in the dough with the chocolate chips, but that is up for customization. Once baked, the cookies are spread with a thin layer of chocolate frosting. I would call them “Strawberry Feels”.