CAREER PATHS FOR FRENCH & ITALIAN MAJORS
October 18th, 3-4:30 pm; The Language Commons, New Cabell 298
Love learning about languages, literature, and culture, but looking for how to apply them? The UVA Career Center, the French and Italian Departments are sponsoring an alumni career program, followed by a networking reception and light refreshments. If you are a current French or Italian major or considering a major in either, this is a great opportunity to network with alumni and other students! All are welcome.
French major panelists:
Harriet Kuhr, International Rescue Committee
Harriet Kuhr is the Executive Director of the International Rescue Committee in Charlottesville and Richmond. Prior to taking that position in April 2010, she was the Manager of Resettlement Services with the IRC in Atlanta. A graduate of the University of Virginia, her previous professional experience includes more than 20 years working in the field of international cultural exchange.
Sarah Bridenhagen, Visiontech Solutions Group
Upon graduating from The University of Virginia in 2009 with a double major in Foreign Affairs and French Language and Literature, Sarah went to work for a young company called Infinity Global that offered global supply chain solutions to top European brands. Sarah spent the next six years working with top Paris-based luxury clients on supply chain optimization, exposing her to global manufacturing, logistics and data management. Sarah returned to the US in 2015 to complete an MBA at George Washington University with a focus in International Business. After two years in Washington DC, Sarah settled back in her native Charlottesville to join the team at Visiontech Solutions Group. VSG is a local company offering engineering, manufacturing and global supply chain solutions and integration for clients primarily in the lighting and tech sectors.
Italian major panelists:
Jessica Botta, Director of Training and Culinary Development for Fabio Trabocchi Restaurants
Jessica Botta is the Director of Training and Culinary Development for Fabio Trabocchi Restaurants in Washington, D.C., which includes Fiola DC, Fiola Miami, Fiola Mare, Sfoglina Pasta House (three locations), and Del Mar. Her culinary career has brought her into the kitchens of several James Beard award-winning Italian chefs: Chef Roberto Donna at his landmark Washington, D.C., restaurant, Galileo; and Chef Fabio Trabocchi, at his award-winning Maestro in the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, Virginia, and Michelin-starred Fiamma in New York City. She got her first taste of the industry working with Chef Craig Hartman at the Clifton Inn outside Charlottesville, Virginia. Jessica was the chef-coordinator of the School of Italian Studies at the International Culinary Center (formerly FCI) in New York City, from 2008 until 2012, working with dean Cesare Casella. During that time she competed on Iron Chef America, participated in the Sfoglino d’Oro, a pasta-making competition in Bologna, Italy, and coordinated editorial production, photography, food and prop styling for Chef Casella’s book, The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Italian Cuisine, nominated for a 2013 James Beard Award. She is on the board of Culinary Corps, a service organization designed for culinary professionals and chairs the grants committee of Les Dames d’Escoffier's Washington DC chapter. She is a 1996 graduate of the University of Virginia.
Zachary Vogt, ESL Teacher in Chesterfield County, VA
Zachary Vogt was raised in Loudoun County, Virginia. After attending Northern Virginia Community College, he transferred to the University of Virginia in fall 2013, where he immediately found a home in the Italian Studies community. He has great memories of the enriching discussions that went on in Professor Cesaretti’s Italian Pop Culture course, loved playing bocce on the lawn gardens, and believes he reached the pinnacle of his brief acting career while reciting Dante’s 28th canto in full costume for his classmates and professors. Through the support of the Italian faculty, he applied for and was selected to serve as a Student Ambassador at EXPO Milano 2015, a world’s fair on sustainable agriculture and food technology. For three months he interacted with thousands of Italians, seeking to recast the image of the United States as a leader in the sphere of nutrition and food security. Following this transformative experience, he decided to continue his studies at New York University in Florence with a Master’s degree in Italian. His thesis project was based around the demographic crisis in the Bel Paese and how Italian society is being reshaped because of it. Zachary is entering his third year as an ESL teacher with Chesterfield County and he is currently working towards a career in education administration. Ask him about Italy—he is rabid fan of Tex Willer, Vittorio De Sica, and all things espresso
RSVP via Handshake at: http://bit.ly/lifeafterlanguages2019