Over slices of pizza, five Siena College alumnae shared slices of their work lives with English majors. Michelle Campbell ’13, Julie Clancy ’07, Kathleen Horgan ’08, Megan Liguori ’11 and Amy Wetsel ’08 talked about how their degrees in English helped them land jobs in various industries, including public relations, publishing, education and sales.
“It’s amazing to have these women come back,” said English Department Chair Erich Hertz, Ph.D. He said the event helps English majors understand that, by virtue of the coursework they’re completing, they have many skills employers are looking for, including critical thinking, the ability to write well and conduct research.
“It’s a competitive world out there,” said Megan Liguori ’11. The PepsiCo Foodservice sales representative highlighted the importance of internships and research. She explained that the skills she developed majoring in English have helped her in the business world. “We have that ability to analyze,” said Liguori.
Along with helping the students connect their coursework to some of the tasks they’ll tackle on the job, the women gave them practical advice, such as how to bolster their resumes, produce powerful cover letters and ace job interviews.
English major Margie Baxter ’16 left the event feeling encouraged about her options for the future. “There are so many more possibilities than just teaching,” Baxter said, adding that based on the advice she received, she’s going to investigate internship opportunities and start thinking about graduate school.
If all goes well, perhaps someday Baxter will find herself back in a conference room at Siena College eating a slice of pizza, only then she’ll be on the panel that’s providing then next generation of English majors with food for thought.
