Student Spotlight: Maggie Flynn

Graduation can be exciting yet scary for Spanish majors because many are not sure what to do with their Spanish degree after college. Maggie Flynn models one possibility.

by Ann Abbott

Spanish majors, take note. Maggie Flynn's trajectory shows how you can combine your love of languages, your studies and an answer to the question: "What will I do after I graduate?"

Maggie went on our department's year-abroad program in Barcelona. This program builds students' language proficiency and transcultural skills like no semester-abroad program can. It's quite simple: the more time you spend abroad, the more you learn and grow as a global citizen.

Maggie took SPAN 332 "Spanish & Entrepreneurship: Languages, Cultures & Communities" with me in the spring of 2012. That course teaches the basics of social entrepreneurship and students do their community service learning in local non-profits that serve our local Spanish-speakers. Students have to do a community-based team project, and you can click here to see how Maggie worked with two of her classmates to present in public venues about our Spanish community service learning program.

I was delighted to receive an e-mail from Maggie last week, letting me know that she is living and working in Ecuador right now. She also shared job opportunities for our current Spanish students. Read her message below, and apply for the jobs. But if you're not at that stage yet, learn from Maggie's example: give your all to your Spanish major! Study abroad a year, not just a semester. Take a Spanish community service learning course (SPAN 232 and 332), even though it would be "easier" to just show up to classes instead of going off campus. Apply to jobs outside the US, not just within a 100-mile radius.

Gracias, Maggie!

Hola Professor Abbott,

                 I hope the school year is going well for you so far! I´m an alumni who took your SPAN 332 class last spring (Spanish and Entrepreneurship?) and I want to pass on some information to you that might be helpful to your current students. I really enjoyed your class, and especially liked learning about interesting non profits and hearing from former students. That being said, I currently live in Quichinche, Ecuador (right outside Otavalo) and am working as a Volunteer Coordinator Intern for The Tandana Foundation. We live and work in the surrounding indigenous communities providing cross cultural learning opportunities to volunteers from the US, traveling health clinics, and scholarships for local students. We´re currently acceptingapplications for a summer ESL internship, which you can learn more about here. I love the community that I live in and I truly believe in the foundation´s work. Knowing what your class teaches and the volunteer work it provides, I think this position could be a great opportunity for one (or more) of your students. If anyone would like more personal information, they can definitley send me an email. Your class introduced me to Idealist, which is how I found my current job, and it helped redefine what I want to do as a career! So thank you and good luck with the semester!  Please let me know if you have any questions.

               

                Atentamente,

                 Maggie Flynn

               

                P.S. We´re also looking to hire a Volunteer Coordinator Intern (this person would be my replacement) if anyone is looking for a long term opportunity! They can learn more about it my going to the foundation´s website, clicking on ¨about´´, and then clicking on ´´employment´´.