Angela Tomasello graduated from Cleveland State University in 2016 with a B.A. in Linguistics. Two years later in 2018, Tomasello graduated from Ball State University with an M. A. in Linguistics. Following her Master’s degree, Tomasello worked as a secondary English teacher through the Peace Corps in Moldova, an Eastern European country, where she displayed the power of language every day. She currently is an Experiential Learning Coordinator at Walsh University in Canton, Ohio.

I think the most valuable skill I have learned as an English major is how to speak about my experiences. My storytelling skills led to successes in both my interview with the Peace Corps and for my current position as the Experiential Learning Coordinator at Walsh University. Since I had the storytelling skills and was able to describe how my degree taught me a wide range of transferrable skills, I was able to teach English as a foreign language in Moldova and land my current position with Walsh.

What is the most fulfilling part of your job?

The most fulfilling part of my current position is hearing students give voice to their passions and finding ways to support those passions. Whether that’s finding service opportunities for members of the learning community that I help oversee or revising a student’s personal statement for graduate school, students never cease to amaze me on their motivations to follow their ambitions.

Is there a particular class or professional opportunity that you remember having a big impact on you?

While getting my MA in linguistics from Ball State, I’ve had the opportunity to take courses with an extremely diverse group of people. I remember sitting in an evening course with Dr. Riddle, and realizing that between the small group of us, we represented multiple countries and spoke numerous languages. These experiences I’ve had developed a cultural sensitivity that has had a huge impact on my choices to celebrate and promote diversity.

What advice do you have for English majors?

The advice I have for any English major is to understand and be able to speak on the transferrable skills you’ve gained with your English major. It is skills like critical thinking, empathy, flexibility, and communication that you have that will make you stand out from other candidates when applying for jobs. The world is full of options for English majors which can be intimidating; take time for experiential opportunities while you’re in school to understand where your interests lie and build your network to find out how to turn those interests into a career.

Connect with Angela on LinkedIn here!