The Places We’ll Go: English Department Career Panelists Inspire Majors to Make Their Jobs Journeys
Our career panelists, clockwise from top right: Nicole Valentine, Melanie Trinidad, Michelle Malonzo, Kevin Greene, and Carrie Berk.
By Faye Liu
Why major in English? Aside from the fantastic courses and the intellectual community that the Fordham English Department offers, English Majors are intensely sought after by employers for their good writing, critical thinking, and creative approach to the social world. Each year, the Fordham English Department hosts an annual Career Panel generously sponsored by the Lauer Fund to guide our students through the wide range of career options graduates can consider. Rather than presenting what English Majors can do, the Career Panel provides concrete advice on how they can get there.
This year’s speakers included author and former chief technology officer Nicole Valentine, lawyer and business advisor Melanie Trinidad, Co-Executive Director at The Word Michelle Malonzo, educator and writer Kevin Greene, and author and journalist Carrie Berk. Guided by the panelists, we traveled from publishing to law, and from teaching to non-profit organizations. The Career Panel was named after the enchanting book by Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Echoing the spirit of the story, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement. From the opening moments to the closing remarks, the event celebrated aspirations.
The panelists consistently pointed to reading and writing well as invaluable assets in a broad range of careers. Kevin Greene described the significance of these skills, stating that “it is intuition and feeling coming together, being able to understand myself, being able to understand others, and then also having a critical lens.” As English Majors, we understand the multifarious voices and experiences that constitute our world by studying narrative, time, and history. Almost all employers seek individuals who can translate complex jargon, numbers, and lists into narratives that resonate with diverse audiences. Writing is not going away. Writers of compelling narratives – and people who can craft them – are desperately needed.
On the changing landscape of the technological world, the panelists underscored the importance of maintaining an open mind to all opportunities and arenas. Nicole Valentine explained how the career she ended up succeeding in did not exist while she was in college. She reassured the students by stating “I think it is a great position to be in if you do not know exactly what you want to do. The whole world is open to you.” Describing the nuts and bolts of that attitude, she continued: “Be open to every interview and listen, and something might jump out at you. If you take that job, that might not be your entire career. ” Melanie Trinidad described her career trajectory in a similar way, candidly saying, “where I am now is actually nowhere I thought I would be when I graduated from Fordham with a double major in English and Economics.” Emphasizing the unpredictability inherent in learning, Michelle Malonzo shared her experience taking a temp job that “became a permanent job as a publicity assistant.” But she continued by describing the important advice of a mentor who had watched her develop in the field. She said, “My mentor asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I answered her honestly. As she saw me getting too comfortable in my position as a publicity assistant, she told me to go into publishing, as that was my true dream.” Our speakers' advice served as a powerful reminder that remaining open to new possibilities, unexpected detours, and evolving industries is essential for one’s personal and professional growth.
But personal and professional growth doesn’t have to happen in isolation, and for our panelists, mentorship and networking emerged as guiding forces. In terms of interpersonal connections, a little gesture can go a long way. While it is impossible to remember every single person in one’s industry, Nicole Valentine recommended a customer relationship software named “Insightly.” She explained to our majors:
Don't expect that you will remember everything. I made little notes of a lot of the contacts that I've made in this database system ‘Insightly’. That's how I got my agent. I went to one of her sessions on the weekend. And then, three years later, I was ready to submit this novel, and I said I really liked her session. I made notes about it in this database, and sent a query to her, telling her exactly what I remembered from her speech, and that connected with her.
Echoing Valentine, Carrie Berke noted the importance of following up with mentors. A tip that she suggested is setting a reminder on one’s phone for a week after emailing a potential employer or mentor. Having just published her first solo book in September, Berke, a senior at Fordham Lincoln Center, has experienced remarkable success, but she is also in the same boat as the graduating class. Berke stated, “The best advice I could give is just write as much as possible to keep pitching your stories out there.” Michelle Malonzo conveyed the joy of community building, and stated, “The relationships that I have built with supervisors, colleagues, or just people in my day-to-day life have really transformed into friendships and mentorships throughout my career and have enriched my personal life.” She continued, “I am not a person who can walk into a room and circulate. That was a big thing that I was advised to do when I started in my career. But I do like knowing people. I like building relationships. And for me, that was building my community.” Kevin Greene described a connection he sees between community building, self-awareness, and narrative. Greene stated, “While I was creating a vision of myself and collecting these experiences, I was meeting other people as well. The power of looking inward is to take those experiences and narrativize them in a way that helps you understand yourself and be able to explain that to others.” As a unique asset of the English Majors, storytelling can shape personal narratives as well as professional trajectories.
No matter which stage you are in your career path, storytelling matters. It is a way of figuring out who you are, what you are right for, and where you can go. While starting a new life chapter can be anxiety-inducing, telling your story is not. We hope that you use the storytelling skills that you have honed in the Fordham English community to enter the broader conversations in the world as you move forward to all the places you’ll go. No matter if you are graduating this year, are in your post-Fordham journey, or are another part of the Fordham English community, you are not alone. You have a supportive network of peers, mentors, and colleagues by your side, ready to hear your stories.
Faye Liu is an English Ph.D. student at Fordham University. She is also working as the English News Content Manager this year.