On Monday, March 31st, professional organizations from across Los Angeles and beyond arrived at Royce Hall to connect with students who sought to pursue careers related to the programs within the European Languages and Transcultural Studies (ELTS) department. These industries ranged from International Business Relations to Museums and Cultural Heritage Institutions to Linguistic Education to Postsecondary Programs Abroad to much more. From 9:30am – 4pm, students got the chance to network with industry professionals, listen to remarks from ELTS alumni currently working in the linguistic/cultural fields, and explore potential career pathways across a multitude of industries. Here is what some students had to say about the event:
“Everyone was very welcoming and kind, open to questions. I got to learn about relevant experiences in LA. I’m now going to find an event to attend at the Hammer museum.”
“It was so great to speak with professionals knowing they want to help you and knowing that learning French will give me better opportunities of being hired.”
“I learned no matter where you are on your language journey, there are opportunities out there for you. Many people were excited to hear that I was studying French.”
“I loved seeing how passionate the representatives were about their work, especially when the work involved bringing people together (like the Elles collective). {…} No matter what my education background is currently, there are so many opportunities in different fields. Language is one of the skills that is very applicable to many fields and is therefore worth investing time in.”
“This career fair was fun and interesting. As a computational + systems biology major, they didn’t have many related opportunities, but I liked how there were various industries presenting – from museums, study abroad, news and other professional industries. I wasn’t considering a career speaking French before but seeing how it can be incorporated with other opportunities in the US made it more realistic in my mind.”
“I was highly impressed by how many immigrants were so passionate about intertwining their professional lives in the United States with their home cultures. Specifically, speaking to representatives from SACC-LA and GABA was a very interesting example of this. While these people technically work in American industries, they recognize the importance of international business and trade relations, and work to strengthen those with their home country and its fellow immigrants.”
“I was impressed by the opportunities that exist in these cultural/linguistic fields outside of language teaching.”
“I spent some time before the event researching the opportunities at the fair and was worried that I wouldn’t find many or even any options that could help me in my professional development process. However, I was proven wrong when I ran into the Career Center table. There I met a lady who is one of only three pre-law advisors helping pre-law students with their applications to law school. Lately I’ve been having a lot of trouble worrying about what I need to do, what jobs I need to get, all questions that could be answered by someone in that field. Luckily she was very helpful and gave me her contact to reach out and answer questions and I’ll be scheduling my first official meeting very soon!”
The European Languages and Transcultural Studies Department takes pride in setting our students up for a future of professional and academic success. The ELTS Job fair is a mutually beneficial experience for our visiting professionals and students alike, allowing both to bond over their shared love of culture and language. Thank you to all of the professional representatives and UCLA community members who came out. We hope to see you at the next one!
Organizations present:
- Austrian Consulate
- Bank of America
- Belgian Consulate
- Belwest
- Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)
- The Elles Collective
- Eataly
- Fondazione Italia
- French Consulate
- German American Business Association (GABA)
- Hammer Museum
- Institute for Field Education (IFE)
- Italian Consulate
- Italian Trade Agency
- Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce-Los Angeles (SACC-LA)
- South East European Film Festival (SEEFest)
- Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)
- Theatre Raymond Kabbaz
- Thomas Mann House | Villa Aurora
- Vista Higher Learning (VHL)
- Wende Museum
- UCLA Career Center
Interculturality Panelists:
- Lorenza Errighi | Deputy Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles
- Adrien Frier | Consul General of France in Los Angeles
- Dr. Oliver Hartmann | Director, Thomas Mann House
- David Herzfeld | Communications and Public Diplomacy Officer, Consulate General of Belgium in Los Angeles
- Benno Herz | Program Director, Thomas Mann House
- Vanina Joulin-Batejat | Business Coach, Author, and Intercultural Consultant
- Vera Mijojlić | Founder and Director, South East European Film Festival (SEEFest)
- Eda Maronde | Corporate Attorney, Montgomery Pacific LLP; GABA SoCal Representative
- Pernilla Håkansdotter Olsson | CEO & Founder, Swedish Leadership Consulting; Reverend, ELCA
