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Published on November 19, 2020

Virtual Alumni Forum Recap

Alumni Forum Screenshot

On November 11, the World Languages and Cultures Department warmly welcomed back four of its graduates for a conversation about their careers. 

The Alumni Forum was an opportunity for current Eastern students to learn and ask questions about the professional journeys of four Spanish majors. This year’s panel – Hector Gonzalez ’08, Jeremiah Elliott ’10, Monica Malaver ’12, Jennifer Green ’14 – featured current K-12 language teachers, a business leader and a government communications specialist. 

Each panelist shared details about their education at Eastern and the career steps that followed.  Like many recent graduates, some of the panelists pursued different paths than they anticipated in college and discussed how they navigated those career turns.  Notably, all continued their education beyond Eastern, earning Masters of Science or Business to further their careers. 

Each of the panelists detailed how they continue to use their Spanish language skills in their jobs: two are teaching Spanish to children; another uses Spanish to assist in teaching English as a second language; and several have translated English documents into Spanish.   

The forum concluded with the alumni sharing tips for the job search process.   Jennifer Green reminded students to always be prepared with at least one question to ask during an interview. 

Normally this type of event would have been hosted in Webb Hall, the home of the World Languages and Cultures Department, with refreshments and warm abrazos, but due to Covid-19, this year’s alumni speakers were featured virtually.   While virtual event lacked the close-knit community feeling that is a signature of the World Languages and Cultures Department, the virtual setting allowed our students to connect with former alumni from around the country, which is a silver lining in the Covid-19 cloud. 

The World Languages and Cultures Department plans to continue to regularly host Alumni Forums to stay connected to alumni and assist current students in planning for life after graduation.