I graduated from Villanova University in May of 2012, with degrees in both English and Geography. I was in the unique position my senior year at Villanova of having completed all of my core requirements in the first semester, leaving my spring semester completely free before I officially graduated. As a direct result of this, I was afforded the opportunity to complete an amazing internship at
National Geographic in Washington, DC. The internship program I was part of was special because it was geared towards Geography majors. However, I believe the unique combination of having both an English and Geography degree, and the strong communication skills an English major entails, is what set me apart from the hundreds of other applicants. As one among nine other interns, many of whom also had other majors in addition to geography, I was the sole English major, and that greatly shaped my internship. I was given the opportunity to participate in the development of a marketing campaign aimed at promoting geography education as well as the opportunity to work with the Chairman Emeritus of
National Geographic on several presentations. It was the attention to detail and ability to think in creative ways while keeping in mind the ultimate goal of a project that I developed and honed as an English major at Villanova that was a key factor in my assignment of these prestigious projects.
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| A recent picture of Allison. |
I am going to be honest; finding a job in this day and age is not easy. I followed all the right steps; I personalized every application and cover letter, detailing specific examples and characteristics that made me uniquely qualified for said position. And while employers were not causing my phone to ring off the hook, I did find that skills I had developed as an English major were applicable to any of the wide variety of jobs I applied for. Geography-based positions would be impressed by the caliber and readability of my scientific writing samples; other positions might have been more intrigued by my attention to detail and creative thinking skills. Despite this, I had to send out a lot of applications before getting a yes.
A month ago, I started working at the Institute for Advanced Study, in Princeton, New Jersey. As a post-doctorate research center, known for having played host to Albert Einstein and other intellectual elites, IAS is one of the most unique working environments I could have imagined. I work in the Development Office, managing a large and expansive database containing the records of thousands of members, faculty, donors and other acquaintances. While my English degree is not being explicitly used, my job is a lot like trying to read and analyze a novel. I have been asked to research constituents, using our database and the internet to create brief 1-3 paragraph summaries of some of the most influential businessmen and women in the country, which are given to managers and directors at IAS in preparation for meetings and other events.
