“What’s the value of a liberal arts education in a 21st century job market?”

Throughout my professional career I’ve tried to be a living answer to that question. During my time as an undergraduate student at The University of Mary Washington I studied Economics and English Literature, focusing on how these two disciplines can complement each other and provide students new avenues for understanding complex thought. This culminated with a wonderful independent study taken under Dr. Rochelle Warren, Economics in Speculative Science Fiction, where I had the opportunity to highlight how contemporary science fiction novels provide readers with the perfect gateway into deeper studies in economics.

How can personal experiences lead to better-informed business practices?

As an individual with hearing loss—which I’ve written about in depth in a blog post published here—I’ve truly come to value the the idea that there is no single perfect way to teach new concepts or present complex ideas to a diverse audience. I’ve come to embrace meeting people where they are at and try to develop unique methods of presentation to impart important information in a manner that makes sense to them.

How can finding a career you enjoy lead to wholistic personal development?

I currently work at the Georgetown University Office of Risk Management (ORM) as a Risk Analyst, a job that allows me to wear many hats and explore a multitude of professional disciplines; in this role, I’ve become a notary public and learned how to notarize important documents for executive leadership, I earned my property and casualty insurance producer license and rely on my knowledge when processing Certificates of Insurance and assisting ORM with yearly renewals, and I’ve recently been able to complete my academic studies and earn my Masters degree in the Communications, Culture, and Technology program where I’ve since been able to utilize skills I picked up to improve ORM’s website.

I love working at a University where new opportunities to further my education and perform interdisciplinary work pop up nearly every day. The value of a liberal arts education is that it never really ends; I can’t wait to see what I can learn next.