Ever thought about a career in...

Ever thought about a career in international education? Yeah, neither had I. At least not initially. My name is Pamela Ruiz, and I am the new Director of Operations for Global Experiences. And I am an Italophile. It started innocently enough – I was in a special class in elementary school that introduced students to Italian Renaissance art, and from then I was hooked, to all things (and food!) Italian.

James Madison University was my school of choice, and since at the time they did not offer a major in Italian Studies, I opted for Art History. As a sophomore I studied abroad for a year in Florence, and it changed my life. Now that I’ve joined Global Experiences, I so wish GE had been around when I was in school! The opportunity to intern in the basement of the Uffizi, to gain the type of working experience that Global Experiences offers, would have been phenomenal.

My first job out of school with my Art History degree was not at a museum. In fact, I didn’t land my first job because of my Art History degree at all, but because of the international experience I received during the degree pursuit. This made me an attractive candidate to an employer, and put me to the top of the stack. The confidence that I gained being on my own in Italy carried me through the interview and into a prestigious non-profit in Washington, DC.

But back to my initial question. Where will you be ten years after graduation? In what way will your international internship not only influence your career path, but your life? Nearly my entire career has been in the international field: from non-profits to translation to language training to international education, and I can trace it all back to my own international experiences. And I wouldn’t change a thing. My advice? Be open; to new cultures, to new foods, to new work and relationship styles and to new ways of thinking. If you are open, you are guaranteed to be successful in your internship and beyond.