See what our graduates are doing with their degrees! If you are an alum of one of one of our programs in languages and linguistics, we would love to hear where you've been and where you're going. Please email the Director of the School of World Languages and Cultures, Joseph Acquisto, to have your story included.
French and Italian
Jae Baker, ’17, French major, Italian Studies minor
After graduation, Jae dedicated himself to learning everything he could within the hospitality industry, focusing primarily on events. He recently accepted a position as the Event Technical Supervisor for the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront hotel in Baltimore, Maryland. His degree has provided him with an invaluable skill set and a deeper level of cultural competency. He’s had the pleasure of working with celebrities, political figures, musicians, etc. and using his language skills along the way to engage with people from various countries.
Caitlin Clarke, ’12 - double major in French and English; minor in Political Science
Caitlin studied in Chambery for a semester as an undergraduate and then returned there as an English instructor for a year after graduation. Back in the U.S., she looked for jobs that would allow her to use her French. She now works for Microsoft, helping to draw up proposals that sales teams market to their clients. Her language skills were essential to her hiring; Microsoft wanted a French speaker who could work with their French account teams and also do research on French companies for account teams that do not know the language.
Ryan Peterson, ’12 - major in French, double minor in German and Political Science
Ryan spent his post-graduation year in Germany on a Fulbright Grant and then returned to the U.S. where he worked in New York City with an events management company and assisted in communications for various art galleries. In 2015, Ryan moved to France to complete a master's degree in political science and sociology at Sciences Po Strasbourg, and then continued on to a master's in European politics and Franco-German cooperation, graduating in 2017. He currently lives in Paris where he is working as a Public Affairs Consultant at a consulting firm.
Matthew Casserly, ‘10, French Major and German Minor
After graduating, Matthew found a great job at Nokian Tyres in Colchester, helping francophone customers from Quebec, Ontario, and the Maritime Provinces. He especially enjoyed talking about his job with those who told him to stop studying things like French (and Finnish!), grow up, and study business. After God's infinitely ironic sense of humor led Matthew to get his MBA from Cardiff University despite solemn vows to never study anything so practical as business, Matthew moved to Kiev and then Moscow to study Russian. He now wears many hats at Yandex, Russia's largest search engine and technology company, working mainly as a Russian-English translator and copywriter. In his free time, he teaches English, continues to study French, and volunteers in an organization that restores wooden churches in the north of Russia. Most importantly, he can still recite poetry he learned from his wonderful professors at UVM.
Meg Salocks, ’10 - French major; European Studies minor
After spending junior year abroad in France studying art history and critical theory, Meg came back to the States determined to work in the museum industry. She joined peer Matt Casserly for a bilingual year at Nokian Tyres before departing to intern at organizations in Vermont and California. This work led to a Master’s degree in Arts Administration from Columbia University and she focused her thesis research project on community engagement in New England museums as New England institutions face unique challenges that industry best practices cannot resolve. Meg has worked at the intersection of marketing and audience engagement for Jazz at Lincoln Center, Columbia University, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Kidstock! Theater, and SIGMA Marketing Insights. She is currently the Director of Marketing and Engagement at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, Vermont and finds herself exploring new media solutions for bilingual and multilingual on-site visitor experience.
Emily Rampone, '12 - Italian Studies major; Global Studies minor
Since graduation Emily has worked for Senator Bernie Sanders in Washington, D.C. She studied Italian cuisine during her study abroad, which fostered her interest in food policy. Currently, as the Senator's Agriculture and Nutrition Policy Adviser, she explores innovative ways to improve farmers' livelihoods and food access for all. She credits the support and encouragement she received from the Italian department for her success at UVM and her public policy career.
Melissa Guzikowski, ’15 - double major in Italian Studies and Anthropology
After graduating from UVM, Melissa moved to Madrid where she worked as an au-pair for a year. From there, her love of travel landed her in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago located off the western coast of Morocco. When sheʼs not at school teaching English, Melissa is advocating for animal rights through various internships and volunteer programs. She also runs a blog about veganism, slow travel, and mindfulness. In June 2018, she will leave the volcanic island of Tenerife to embark on a journey through Latin America. Melissaʼs appreciation of romance languages, culture, and travel blossomed during her college years. Her experience at UVM has allowed her to travel with an open mind while applying many of the concrete skills she learned in the classroom.
Alyssa Micheli, ’15 - double major in Italian Studies and Psychology
Alyssa moved to New York shortly after graduation and works in the Electronic Banking Department of Glens Falls National Bank. She recently concluded work on a year-long project to reissue EMV (chip) cards to all of the bank's customers and is preparing to start work on a new account opening project where she will continue to expand her knowledge of banking products while collaborating with colleagues across other bank departments.
Patrick Grant-Musso, ’10 - Italian Studies major
Patrick unexpectedly, but happily, found his way in the natural food industry shortly after graduating from UVM. He started working as a finance manager for Madecasse, a fair-trade chocolate and vanilla company that sources its cocoa directly from local farmers in Madagascar and strives to make all of its chocolate at the source in Madagascar. At the end of 2016, Patrick was hired as an operations manager by Jawea Frozen Desserts, which makes coconut cream based ice cream that showcases international flavors inspired by adventure and travel, such as Horchata, Spiced Coffee, and Dulce NO Leche.
Alexander Peartree, ’10 - Italian Studies major
Alexander worked for wineries in the Finger Lakes region of New York after graduating. From there he moved to the greater New York City area for a position at Wine Enthusiast Magazine. His job in the tasting department often requires him to taste up to 60 wines a day! Writing for the magazine has become a recent endeavor, and requires him to be current and knowledgeable of the latest beverage trends - a task he is more than willing to take on.
Kristine Richardson, ’10 - Italian Studies major
Kristine worked for Sun Chemical Corporation in Cincinnati as a Bilingual Master Data Analyst after graduating. This position allowed her to use her Italian language skills to translate business training documents for their Italian office. She moved to Portland, Maine, after three years and took a position in marketing. She now works for Diversified Communications as a search engine marketing specialist. She is passionate about travel and attends an advanced Italian conversation class weekly.