1981-2000 Alumni
David Krueger '83
I work in mining and energy. My territory is South America, and I am presently working in Perú.
Paul James '89
Shortly after graduating from Dickinson in 1989, I moved to Miami and worked in the Hispanic Affairs Division of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. Five years later, I graduated from law school (Univ. of Miami) and handled real estate transactions for a wide variety of local and international clients, many of whom felt most comfortable communicating in Spanish. After the tragic events of 9-11, I retired from the practice of law and became a police officer. I currently work road-patrol in Broward County and, for better or worse, find myself speaking Spanish on a fairly regular basis. My wife is Dominican and our two small children are well on their way to becoming fluent in both English and Spanish. It is not very difficult to see just how valuable the Málaga Program was for me. Many thanks to Dickinson College and to the Spanish Department for allowing me to participate in such a wonderfully productive program!
Will Febbo '91
Will Febbo is co-founder and CEO of MedPanel, a medical insights business based in Cambridge, MA. Bringing more than 20 years experience in operations, sales, finance, and manufacturing to the leadership of MedPanel, Will has worked for three Fortune 500 companies, specializing in business development, merger and acquisition and global technology transfer in Europe, Central Asia and South America. Currently, Will is also a Director of Merriman Capital (NASDAQ: MERR) based in San Francisco and serves as Director and Treasurer on the Board of the United Nations of Greater Boston. Will is married to Vanessa, from Argentina, and they have two children, Isabella and Theodore. The family speaks Spanish at home.
Heather Stewart '91
My name is Heather Stewart and I was a Spanish major at Dickinson who graduated in 1991. The highlight of my time at Dickinson was my junior year abroad in Málaga, Spain. At that time, Professor Arturo Fox ran the program and I have many fond memories of that year's program under his direction. (He somehow managed to find us a Thanksgiving turkey!) My academic advisor was Enrique Martinez-Vidal and his teaching was integral to my having such a satisfying time in my major. Since graduation I have used my Spanish skills in almost all of my endeavors. Right after graduation, I spent one year in Laredo, TX (a town on the Mexican border) as a VISTA volunteer with a literacy organization. In 1994 I received my Masters in social work from the University of Chicago and in 2004 I received my Ph.D. in clinical social work from the Institute for Clinical Social Work (Chicago). My dissertation was on the developmental importance of the Latina girls' 15th birthday. I completed about 30 interviews for this study, many of them in Spanish.
For almost 17 years I have been a Spanish-English bilingual psychotherapist, working with mostly Latino clients. I currently work at a community mental health agency providing psychotherapy and clinical supervision, as well as directing the student intern-training program. I have a small private psychotherapy practice in Oak Park, IL, where I live with my boyfriend of 13 years, Paul.
Julie Davi '94
My name is Julie (Salsitz) Davi and I graduated in 1994 with a BA in Spanish. Currently, I am the World Languages department head and one of four Spanish teachers at Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond, VA. I've been there for 13 years already! I teach mostly sophomores and juniors. For 10 years, I have been teaching Spanish in Trinity's International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, which is really rewarding. I am proud to say that I have never had a single student not pass the IB exam (of course, that could be more of a credit to my incredible students than to me)!
Before I started working at Trinity, I went to the University of Virginia for a Masters in Spanish Literature. It was very difficult, but I do feel that Dickinson prepared me extremely well for such a competitive program. At the time, UVA's graduate Spanish program was ranked 5th in the country by the Wall Street Journal, so I was with some of the best and the brightest. My Spanish (and French) professors at Dickinson were very encouraging of my pursuits, and instilled a real love of learning language in me, which helped me to be successful in such a rigorous program. They also were models for my teaching, which was the highlight of graduate school for me. I was a teaching assistant both years I spent at UVA (at UVA that meant running your own classroom!), and my professors at Dickinson inspired me every day. I made some wonderful connections with my UVA students, some of whom followed me for three semesters as I had the opportunity to teach subsequent levels.
I am always mentioning Dickinson to my current students who love Spanish. In my opinion, it's the best undergraduate Spanish program in the country, and I've been crowing about it since I graduated 17 years ago!
Stephen Powell '94
I was an International Studies & Spanish Major with a Certificate in Latin American Studies. After graduation from Dickinson I joined the United States Marine Corps (USMC) as a Second Lieutenant. I applied to the Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Program and I was accepted on the Experienced Track based on my previous experiences and education, which included having been an exchange student in Chile in high school and in Brazil in college. I went on to serve as a Communications Officer, a Latin American FAO and as a general's aide de camp at Marine Corps Forces South (MARFORSOUTH), which is the USMC Headquarters to United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), which is responsible for all US Military activities in Latin America and the Caribbean. Later, I served in the Military Group in the US Embassy in Brasília, Brazil and then I served in the Communications Directorate of USSOUTHCOM by providing communications support to Military Groups throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. I spent ten years on active duty and I have been in the USMC Reserves for over seven years. I currently hold the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and I am currently assigned as a Latin American FAO / Plans Officer in the International Affairs Branch of the Plans, Policies and Operations (PP&O) Division at Headquarters Marine Corps at the Pentagon.
Sara White '94
I graduated in 1994 and taught Spanish at the Westminster School in CT until 1997, when I moved to Ohio. There I received my MA in Hispanic linguistics from Miami University as well as teaching undergraduate Spanish. I moved to London in 1999 and taught Spanish at the American Community School. In 2000 I changed careers and began public relations (PR) at Porter Novelli in London as an Account Executive. I was married to my husband Oliver in 2001 and in 2002 became Communications Manager for Veolia Environment in London. In 2003 I moved back to the US and began working on a PhD in Hispanic Sociolinguistics at the Graduate Center in NYC. I taught at various schools while studying, including CUNY, Fordham University, and Raritan Valley Community College. In 2004 I left the PhD program and went back into PR for Porter Novelli, NYC. In 2005 my daughter Stella Kathryn was born. I left PR and went back to teaching at Fordham University.
Liz McManamy '95
Following graduation in '95, I was hired as a Spanish translator for an international trade company in New Haven, CT and went on to head up a team of translators. I then continued my study abroad for 1 year in Germany, after which I traveled throughout Europe, South America and New Zealand. When I returned to the US, I moved to Boston, MA where I worked for the translation industry as a Project Manager and Vendor Manager. I now work as a Recruiter for a large international staffing firm, Randstad, at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals outside Boston, MA where I get to speak Portuguese and Spanish regularly. My husband and I met in Boston, and were married in South Beach 4 years ago. We return to his native Ireland often, and hope to introduce our 18-month-old son to his relatives overseas. My year in Málaga was the best year of my life and I've been able to return to Spain 3 times since.
"¡Les deseo a todos mis amigos y profesores todo lo mejor!"
Diego Astigueta '99
I am a 1999 Dickinson graduate who majored in International Studies & Spanish. Since August 2007, I have been working for the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control focusing on economic sanctions. I am currently serving as the Assistant Attache at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia.
Kevin McDonough '99
A few years after graduating from Dickinson in 1999, I spent a brief period as a high school teacher and as a volunteer instructor of ESL to migrant workers and children in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I later enrolled in law school at Seton Hall University and graduated in 2005. I am now a litigation associate in the New York office of Latham & Watkins LLP. I live in Hoboken, New Jersey with my wife and daughter.
Carl Hedger '00
At Dickinson, I majored in Spanish & International Studies and spent a summer and junior year in Málaga, Spain. Encouraged by my experiences abroad and following graduation from Dickinson in 2000, I completed a Masters in European Political and Economic Integration at the University of Durham, in England. I later studied law at the University of Exeter in the southwest of England, where I live now. I am a lawyer specializing in procurement law, which is heavily influenced by EU legislation and case law. I started my legal career in the private sector, working for a large regional firm in both its London and Exeter offices. I now work in-house for a county council, which offers a busy and extremely varied caseload. Although I cannot believe it has been over ten years since I left Dickinson, I feel that my liberal arts background continues to serve me well and has helped me to develop a breadth of knowledge and skills that has proven useful for life beyond the limestone walls.
***Note - Alumni snapshots have been edited for concision and clarity.***