Your career options might surprise you

On Wednesday, Feb. 13, University of Colorado Boulder alumni of philosophy, history, English, German studies and film will answer questions about how their careers unfolded after they earned their bachelor’s degrees. 

The panel discussion is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in University Memorial Center Room 247.

Panelists will discuss the skills and tools they gained in their majors that continue to support their roles in business, nonprofit management, public health and government. Academic advisors within the College of Arts and Sciences will moderate the panel and ask questions about how job seekers can market themselves and their, how they continue use their degrees in their careers, and what benefits students of the arts and humanities bring to the workplace.

Speakers include:

• Kathy King, PhD, an associate principal at Redstone Strategy Group, a social-sector consulting firm based in Boulder, Colorado. She graduated with a BA in philosophy from CU Boulder and went on to earn a master’s in neuroscience from Oxford University and a PhD in philosophy, logic and the scientific method from the London School of Economics.
• Lena Heilmann, PhD, M.N.M., works as the youth suicide prevention coordinator with the Office of Suicide Prevention with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. At CU Boulder, she double-majored in English literature and Global literature. She also completed her MA in German with a graduate certificate in women and gender studies. She went on to complete a PhD in Germanics from the University of Washington.
• Susie Martinez is a victim witness specialist at the Jefferson County district attorney’s office. She has been a professional victim’s advocate for eight years, and had been volunteering as a victims’ advocate since she graduated from CU Boulder in 2006 with degrees in philosophy and anthropology. 
• Emily Scraggs is an account-based marketing specialist for enterprise software at Broadcom (previously CA Technologies). She holds a BFA degree in film studies (production) and a minor in technology, arts and media from CU Boulder.
• Nancy A. Smith, JD, MBA is director of the Sustainable Food and Water Program for The Nature Conservancy’s Colorado Program, an organization for which she has worked 20 years. She holds a law degree and an MBA from CU Boulder, where she also earned her bachelor’s in English.
• Melissa Wiley manages Denver Peak Academy, the City and County of Denver’s process improvement and analytics team. She holds a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government, and earned bachelors’ degrees of history and sociology at CU Boulder.

The panel discussion is free and open to students and the public. Refreshments will be served beginning at 3:15 p.m. Opportunities for networking will follow.

For those who can’t make the event, CU Boulder’s Career Services has resources on its website to help you launch your career.

This event is sponsored by the Departments of Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts, Theatre and Dance, Philosophy, and Asian Languages and Civilizations.