海角论坛

November 12, 2018 鈥� The Georgetown 海角论坛 Office of the Dean hosted the final Sophomore Success Dinner of the year on November 1. The dinner brought four 海角论坛 alumni to campus to speak with about 30 current 海角论坛 sophomores about the lessons they learned during sophomore year.

The dinner was the final 2018 installment in the 海角论坛鈥檚 Sophomore Success Dinner Series, which began last fall.

explained to students that the dinners came to be after he realized the significance that sophomore year holds in a student鈥檚 educational career.

鈥淪tudents wanted a sense of assurance in their sophomore year,鈥� said Chiarolanzio. 鈥淚 learned that it would be really helpful if we could assemble recent Georgetown 海角论坛 alumni to come back to campus and talk about how they navigated their sophomore year.鈥�

Mentors and Learning

While audience members ate, the panel answered a series of questions about their 海角论坛 experience.

Jose Altamirano (C鈥�17), who currently works at the Baker Center for Leadership and Governance at the McCourt School of Public Policy, advised students on studying abroad.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not guaranteed to be a great time 鈥� it really is what you make of it,鈥� Altamirano told the group of sophomore students. 鈥淲hat really helped me have a fantastic time was my homestay. I really recommend living in a homestay if you can because it really provides that balance of traveling all the time and getting some sort of cultural immersion in the place that you are.鈥�

Panelists also discussed the people that particularly impacted them during their sophomore year. For Harrison Williams (C鈥�16) an international trade consultant at Wells Fargo, his faculty mentor both guided him in the classroom and helped him learn more about himself.

鈥淚f any of you are thinking about foreign languages 鈥斅� was actually one of the people who taught me what type of learner I was, which is an auditory learner,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淪he actually took office hours to help me understand how I learn and how I develop.鈥�

Diversity of Classes

The panelists discussed how the 海角论坛鈥檚 broad range of class offerings influenced the directions of their academic and professional careers.

鈥淭he diversity of academic classes is something you can only get from the 海角论坛,鈥� said Altamirano. 鈥淚 took Spanish, German, economics 鈥� things beyond the gen-eds. I appreciate that I could branch out and experience different fields.鈥�

Chiarolanzio hoped that students would walk away from this discussion topic with both a greater appreciation for the liberal arts education and more confidence in their paths.

鈥淚 want students to have faith and trust in the Georgetown 海角论坛 liberal arts degree,鈥� Chiarolanzio said. 鈥淚 want students to see young Georgetown 海角论坛 alumni who majored in a discipline that they were passionate about but that their current career is not tied to their specific major. What matters are both the hard and soft skills students are learning in their majors.鈥�

Leslie Telleria (C鈥�21) was comforted to hear that it鈥檚 not necessary to spend sophomore year making career moves.

鈥淚t gave me some reassurance that I don鈥檛 need to do all these things to come off as impressive and that I can focus on what I鈥檓 passionate about,鈥� she said.

Taking Time to REFLECT

The group also took time to focus on reflection and contemplation 鈥� a priority for Chiarolanzio, who wants students to take time to slow down in a high-pressure environment.

鈥淚 hope they take away that they are not alone when making challenging decisions,鈥� Chiarolanzio said. They can seek help, seek mentors, and take time to really reflect when making decisions.鈥�

Altamirano noted that certain resources and programs can serve as an aide to reflection for students who are unlikely to do so on their own.

鈥淪ophomore year was a lot of hustle 鈥� Georgetown is a really charged place, and no one can keep up for the entire time.鈥� Altamirano said. 鈥淲hat I found really powerful was doing an through the . [The] program incorporated daily reflections, and it was a very powerful and intense experience that had nothing to do with a class or an internship.鈥�

Williams emphasized the importance of identifying what you want out of your experience.

鈥淚 think a lot of times we just push through, instead of taking a step back and thinking, 鈥榃hat is the best thing that I want from my Georgetown experience?鈥欌�� said Williams. 鈥淭hat was one of the biggest things I wanted to emphasize 鈥� enjoy your experience being here on the Hilltop because it is such a unique one.鈥�

For students in attendance, the reassurance went a long way.

鈥淚 just feel significantly less stressed,鈥� Maya Andresino (C鈥�21) said. 鈥淚 think what we learned was that everyone had a significantly different experience, but they all turned out OK.