On February 25, 2013, the Hispanic Studies Program hosted a career-panel for majors and potential majors. The panel, which was the result of engaged dialog between the Cohen Career Center and faculty in Hispanic Studies, featured four outstanding Hispanic Studies alums: Sara Gilmer (State Department), John Cipperly (National Center for State Courts), Jennifer Primeggia (physician) and Maybelline Mendoza (MBA student in Marketing and Development). These four alums agreed to come back to William and Mary to talk about their career choices, to discuss how their decision to major in Hispanic Studies has influenced their career paths and opportunities. Here is a video interview with Prof. Jonathan Arries about the event and its impact.
The event was an enormous success! Roughly twenty-five current and would-be majors listened attentively to stories and advice from alums in the fields of medicine, business, government and social services. Our students, as always, shined with provocative, thoughtful questions and were treated to insightful, considered answers from successful practitioners who were able to express in precise terms how their work in Hispanic Studies had prepared them to negotiate linguistic and cultural situations but also how Hispanic Studies had given them the necessary tools for engaged, critical thought in a wide variety of professional situations. After the panel, students were invited to stick around for a reception where they were able to spend time chatting-with and getting to know our alums and vice-versa. The event is a model for the powerful synergy between Hispanic Studies faculty, alums and the Cohen Career Center and was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of the spring semester.