Alumni - Julie Schellberg
I was an Honors student at SFA from 2000 until I graduated SFA in 2004 as an International Business major. The Honors School provided me money that helped me afford school. But no matter who you are, you worry about what will come after graduation. My approach to this concern was to make my resume outshine others. It seemed to me that most resumes probably included a generic four year degree, an extra curricular or two, some sort of student assistant job and maybe an internship if the student was lucky. I also thought about the things those resume’s lacked - research experience (most people don't get this until they become a graduate student), real work experience (i.e., managing real money), and fluency in a foreign language.
The most realistic (and most fun) first step seemed to be fluency in a foreign language. I decided to fly south and work on my Spanish for a semester. My semester abroad was one of the best experiences of my life and reinforced the notion that I just needed to adjust my focus and create a resume with enough flare to outshine all other candidates. By the time I returned to SFA, I knew I wanted research experience and experience managing real money. I looked to my Honors professors to help me achieve these goals.
My Honors Political Science professor regularly mentioned his pet projects, so I asked to be involved in one. He was happy to have the help and after two years, the work paid off in terms of a paycheck, a published paper and some interesting knowledge on Middle Eastern affairs. I also asked an Honors Finance professor for an independent study project in financial markets and was included in the “Round Table” group, which manages real money for the SFA. Not only did these projects make me stand out against other candidates, but they showed I was more diversified than my degree.
The Honors School at SFA provided me with opportunities. The Honors professors gave me one-on-one attention and prospects I would never have been exposed to elsewhere.
On my very last day at SFA I received a job offer from Shell Oil Company. I have been with Shell now for over four years and traveled to London, Dubai and The Hague, as well as other destinations all over Europe and the US. Without the help of my Honors professors, this would not have happened. They were guiding lights through my years at SFA and provided the gems I needed on my resume to land the dream job I have now.