Majors and certificates
International Relations
Graduation year
1999After graduation
I've worked in International Sales Administration, lived and worked in Israel, participated in Advertising and Marketing, worked in the financial industry in Relationship Management and with Philanthropy as Director of Development for the UW Foundation.
Motivation
My geographic areas of interest and general interest in languages, foreign cultures, travel, poetry, and literature.
How language enriched
These languages have enriched my life with the opportunity to communicate with others who do not speak my native tongue. Studying other languages broadens my own pool of knowledge on many levels and deepens my understanding and appreciation for language, its usage, its application in publications of all kinds and its influence in history, society and culture. Language affects how the world is perceived, describes all aspects of human existence and reflects generational attitudes and emotion. Understanding multiple languages sensitizes one to multiple layers of the human experience.
Valued experiences How language was maintained
Each of my languages have been utilized since graduation. French and Arabic less than English and Hebrew, but I speak each daily, at least a little.
Advice for others
Soak in as much as you possibly can. Leap towards any opportunity to communicate with others who speak the languages you study. Visit homes, share meals, interact with the children, sit with the elderly.
I noticed two simple advantages in learning and practicing the languages I was learning: I could sit with the elderly and infirm and practice the language - they appreciated the visit and had patience with my developing aptitude for the language. The other advantage was practicing my language on children. They would laugh and immediately correct any mistakes and repeat over and over the correct pronunciation until I could say it correctly, too
Favorite word or phrase
Yalla Imshich - "let's go!" or "get a move on!" (Arabic)
Quote
Language affects how the world is perceived, describes all aspects of human existence, and reflects generational attitudes and emotion.
