Student Spotlight: Jill Rollinger

by Ann Abbott


Jill Rollinger was a student in my Business Spanish class during the fall semester of 2009.  She stood out because of her high level of Spanish fluency, really good accent (she studied in Spain), and her critical thinking.  Jill kept me on my toes because I knew she expected a lot from whomever was teaching her!

Because it was a Business Spanish course, we talked often about students' career plans.  Many of my students were also seniors so they were interviewing for jobs and grad school.

Jill studied engineering and Spanish, and here is a note about her career plans:

"I took a job with the Nielsen Company and will be working in Tampa, Fl come summer. I am very excited, and though I'm not sure how yet, I know that my Spanish will come in handy. I also got an offer from Accenture, who I did my final project on, but decided that the consulting lifestyle may not be what I would like to do long term."

Another thing I remember vividly about Jill is that she once mentioned in class that her father is a pilot.  Another student in the class was studying aviation, and I suggested that he consider networking with Jill's father for his own learning and career.  I don't know if he did, but I would just like to encourage Spanish students to think seriously about the importance of networking.  Spanish classes are usually small and require students to do a lot of small group work.  This means that you can really get to know your classmates, form friendships and stay in contact even after the class ends.  That is what networking is--making real connections and fostering them.

And don't be afraid to use this blog for networking.  Search this blog for "Student Spotlight" and you will find former students of mine who have gone on to having interesting careers.  Look them up.  Contact them.  Say, "I saw you on Prof. Abbott's blog, and I am interested in your..."

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