Students share why they studied languages

Biography

Studying Spanish at Santa Clara University was a huge part of my personal and career development.  The curriculum focused on service-learning and social justice, sent me off campus to learn about the issues facing residents in the university’s surrounding communities, while using my Spanish in a practical setting.  Experience in the community through the Arrupe Partnerships program connected me to the Health Trust, a public health non-profit and foundation in San Jose, where I was hired full-time as a program coordinator after graduation.  Skills in Spanish were essential for my role as the event coordinator for the annual Open Air Health Fair, as well as for many other projects in health promotion and services.  Employment in the public health sector solidified my goal to pursue medicine, and has motivated to serve communities in need.  I know Spanish skills will help me to become a culturally competent physician and broaden the populations I can reach and serve. 

 

Biography

My experiences studying French, as well as living and working abroad in France, have greatly influenced and supported my professional life. After teaching in Toulouse, I was hired by Accenture as a French-language resource for an ongoing project. I used my language skills and experience to not only train other incoming foreign team members, but also lead French-language client meetings, and expand upon my role to include more international projects. Knowing another language and culture is an extremely valuable asset, especially in a business setting. If anything, I strive to surround myself with a diverse work environment, and no longer think of language or cultural differences as "barriers". 

Biography

Studying French at SCU was a wonderful experience that has opened up many opportunities in my life.  As a junior, I studied abroad in Paris, taking classes ranging from French film and theater to politics and literature.  After graduating, I was able to take a teaching job at a French high school in Cannes because of my background in French and film.  I had the opportunity to teach, travel, experience French culture, and even apply for a pass to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival where I saw and met some of my favorite directors and actors, including Agnès Varda, Alexander Payne, Brad Pitt, and Robert De Niro.

After returning from France, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue my interest in film editing.  I landed an assistant editing job at Girl Rising, a film about nine girls from nine countries and the role education has played in each of their lives.  Girl Rising is not only a film; it is a movement spreading like wildfire promoting girls? education all around the world.  The team is incredible and diverse.  Many of us speak more than one language.  I have no doubt that my French background and life experience gained from knowing French helped me acquire this dream job.  I am now the digital media coordinator who runs our video department, which includes making the film and related videos accessible in over twenty different languages.

Biography

My language major has supported my professional life significantly. Zendesk was founded by three Danes and we have offices all over the world. As a global company, many of my co-workers have an international background. Having spent time overseas, living with a French family, I believe I have a better understanding of the intricacies of different cultures. I am able to appreciate my co-workers and their work style better because of my immersion experience. Further, our French Marketing Manager will occasionally approach me with a translation question as I am familiar with the colloquialisms of both the United States and France. I am pleased that I am able to help a colleague as a result of my language education. I am extremely proud of my choice to major in French and I encourage current students to explore the idea of majoring or minoring in a foreign language.

Biography

My experience as a Spanish Studies major at Santa Clara University inspired me to pursue a career in teaching English as a Second Language. The Modern Languages professors at SCU emphasize that languages are not simply collections of words, but rather they are tools, which can be used to better understand and empathize with the speakers of those languages. Studying Spanish expanded my worldview and provided me with the opportunity to learn about diverse groups of Spanish speakers. My passion for sharing world cultures as a result of my studies at SCU gave me to the courage to embrace my vocation as a language teacher. In my time as a Lecturer of English as a Second Language, I have been able to identify with the struggles that my students face because I can relate to their experiences as a language learner myself. More importantly, I celebrate the opportunity to unite diverse groups of speakers of other languages and use the English language as a tool for promoting cultural understanding among my students. When I reflect on my degree in Spanish Studies, I can say with confidence that I gained much more than an understanding of the Spanish language while at Santa Clara University.

Biography

Being a student in the Italian department has opened so many doors for my future and has made my experience at SCU the best I could ever have hoped for. The excellent education in the language and culture is certain, but the relationships are rare and just as important. The department is small, which allowed me to really get to know my professors. They are genuinely interested in knowing who we are and what our backgrounds are. Being an Italian major has undoubtedly changed my life for the better, and I cannot imagine my time at SCU without being involved in this department. In the fall of my Junior year, I studied abroad in Rome, Italy. I was determined to use the knowledge my professors had given me and press myself to improve as much as possible. I applied and was given an internship at a small political consulting firm in which only Italian was spoken. I was forced to use my Italian and it was very rewarding. My experience abroad inspired me to pursue a career in International Law.  I hope that with the incomparable instruction I received from the Italian Studies department, and my experiences abroad, I will achieve all of my goals and become an attorney in Italy. I am confident that without being an Italian major I would not be able to achieve these goals.

Biography

 

I remember the excitement  as we gathered to sign up for courses that long-ago September, 1966.  As an English major, a foreign language was a requirement but my hesitation on the choice evaporated when I was told by the department chair, “Our Italian students can study in Rome junior year.” That was it.  I walked into class my first morning and the professor greeted me with a wide smile: Dr. Victor Vari (also department chair, if I remember correctly!).

I studied Italian for two years with Dr. Vari and then headed off to Rome. Italia: amore a prima vista.  That one wondrous year was not enough: i set my sites on returning senior year.  Objection from my parents: no more Italy for now, graduate on time. Dr. Vari came through (we’d exchanged letters in those days): he would recognize my planned three months (Oct - Dec) at l’Universita’ per Stranieri In Perugia if sat the exams for il corso medio.  Result? I could head back to Italy and graduate from SCU on time! Mille grazie, Dr. Vari!

Biography

Majoring in French (one of two undergrad degrees I received at SCU) helped to open professional and personal doors for me both during and after college. First and foremost, the professors in the program were genuinely interested in engaging students about French and Francophone culture, and it was clear from the beginning that their heart was truly in the program. Second, I couldn’t imagine what life would be like without my best friend Brittany, who I met in French 21, and who I traveled abroad to Paris with in 2007. 

Not only did this program influence my life while at Santa Clara, but upon graduation as well. After SCU, I was given the opportunity to move back to France and teach elementary English in the north of France, an opportunity that helped me grow as a person more than any other.  This international experience has always been viewed as an asset professionally; skills I learned abroad such as adapting to unfamiliar situations, remaining flexible, and being comfortable engaging with people of all backgrounds are indispensable to a company, and were rooted in my background in the French Department at SCU.