Alumni Connections
To see how some Alumni have used their Spanish Majors, click on a career field below. Note, these are only a few of the limitless opportunities open to Spanish Majors.
-Politics & Law
- Rebecca (Nelson) Feyder, Spanish & Political Science '99
- Current Employment: Mediator, Minnesota Attorney General's Office.
- Have you been able to use your Spanish post-graduation? Only in a limited sense. I have used it some in the Attorney General's office and at Paul Wellstone's office to assist Spanish-speaking citizens, although this is infrequent. My language skills were also a part of my US Peace Corps assignment. While I was not assigned to a Spanish-speaking country, the Peace Corps elected to send us to a country w/ a difficult language because we had proved we could learn languages quickly.
- Sharon Jacks, Spanish w/ a minor in Math '85
- Current Employment: Appellate Attorney, Office of State Public Defender.
- Have you been able to use your Spanish post-graduation? Yes, I have worked with the Latino population in most of my jobs. I have also volunteered in the community and traveled throughout Latin America.
- Are your Spanish-speaking skills and important part of your career? Yes, I am an attorney. I represent Latinos. As a law student I also secured jobs, in part, because I spoke Spanish.
- Dayna Weltzin, Spanish, Speech & Communications '90
- Current Employment: Iowa Department of Human Services.
- Have you been able to use your Spanish post-graduation? I've used my Spanish in every job I've had since graduation from GAC in '90. I went to Spain & lived for 6 years following graduation. I ended up working as a nanny at first, then ESL classes, got married to a Spaniard and earned a Magister in Translation at Universidad Complutense.
- Are your Spanish-speaking skills and important part of your career? I use my Spanish frequently as I work in a country populated by many Spanish-speakers. I help, for example, my coworkers in interviews with people requesting food stamps, Title XIX, etc. Sometimes I help translate written notes from clients. Also I go on interviews in the field with child protective workers to assist with child abuse cases.