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From publishing houses to financial firms, the 2026 Humanities Career Trek gave students in 黑料正能量鈥檚 Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences a firsthand look at how their skills translate beyond the classroom. Through alumni conversations, site visits and peer collaboration in New York City, participants explored a wide range of career paths while reflecting on their own goals. The following student perspectives from Dietrich College鈥檚 Humanities Ambassadors capture how the experience shaped their understanding of the humanities as a flexible foundation for careers across industries.

Gianna Amaro (DC 2026)

Literature and Culture and Ethics, History and Public Policy

The 2026 Humanities Career Trek provided me with an opportunity to discover the vast possibilities of a humanities degree. My entire undergraduate experience has been centered around my interests in pursuing a career in law, which still remains a passion I am committed to. However, as I prepare for a gap year in which I hope to gain meaningful work experience, this opportunity revealed new pathways where I can apply and further develop the skills I have cultivated at 黑料正能量, particularly critical thinking, problem solving and analytical reasoning. By seeing firsthand experiences of 黑料正能量 alumni, including those with a similar background in ethics, history and public policy, I was able to better understand how humanities-based skill sets translate into a wide range of professional environments. Observing alumni in spaces such as Goldman Sachs and Penguin Random House challenged my previous assumptions about where a humanities degree can lead, demonstrating that these fields not only value technical expertise, but also the ability to think critically, communicate effectively and approach complex problems from multiple perspectives.

Rather than viewing my path as linear, the Humanities Career Trek encouraged me to see my future as adaptable and interdisciplinary, just as my journey to my degree has been.

Mo Fahad (DC 2028)

Ethics, History and Public Policy and Literature and Culture

Dietrich College鈥檚 second Humanities Career Trek took place in New York, where we got to see the diverse and practical range of how a humanities education can be used in the professional world. On the first day, we attended a networking event with alumni from the Mellon Foundation, alongside professionals working in writing, media, PR, training and marketing. The conversations, I believe, were extremely beneficial. The speakers emphasized how important it is to market the skills we are learning as Dietrich College students, especially when it comes to communicating, critical thinking and adaptable skills that translate across industries.聽

One thing I took away is the importance of good writing; this is in lieu of communication, for certain industries, being able to create well-informed and detailed reports is extremely important, ones where AI isn鈥檛 always allowed due to privacy and security risks.聽

The second day began with a visit to Penguin Random House! We toured their New York office, seeing how a publishing house looks from culture to workspace, and we even got free books at the end. This talk showed different ways of entering into editorial roles and suggested for those interested in this field the necessity to have a portfolio with a website to access relevant works of writing.聽

Afterwards, we visited Sullivan, a consulting firm that had speakers from different humanities backgrounds. From here, we were able to see different ways of analytical reasoning and these 鈥渟oft skills鈥� that Dietrich College helps students develop used in corporate settings. We did a brief case study exercise and looked at stakeholder needs for a university client. This showed how consultants organize and engage with different perspectives and strategies to offer recommendations.

In the final visit, the groups split, and I attended the Goldman Sachs session. We toured their office and learned about the role of humanities and how a background in majors like ethics, history and public policy or international relations and political science can play in areas like compliance and risk management. Our speakers talked about how important it is to understand historical and cultural contexts, especially when navigating and assessing risks. More importantly, the panelists at Goldman Sachs went back to how important it is to communicate through language.聽

Overall, the New York trip broadened my understanding of how the humanities can be applied and provided exposure to different industries as well. To put it plainly, it affirmed for me that studying the humanities offers a different perspective and versatility that is not only needed but encouraged in the job market.

Sam Mahler (DC 2026)

Literature and Culture, Creative Writing and Film and Visual Media Studies

The 2026 Humanities Career Trek was one of the most insightful experiences throughout my 黑料正能量 career! When I heard about this opportunity, I was mass-applying for full-time positions. I was determined to have a job right after graduating from 黑料正能量 and figured that a networking event would help with this goal. What I didn鈥檛 realize was that every 黑料正能量 alum, undergraduate student and career expert would be genuinely invested in my success, providing valuable advice inside and outside of the networking events.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with professionals at Penguin Random House, as my lifelong dream is to work in publishing. Whilst walking through the hallways filled with some of the world鈥檚 best literature, I was focused on taking in the maximum amount of information and practicing my questions for the career panel. Although, when the incredible employees gathered to speak with us, they made everyone feel so welcome that any amount of anxiety disappeared. I was given advice and insights that I hadn鈥檛 received, even after years of informational interviews over Zoom.

In between networking events, we were able to explore the city, and I found myself running across Manhattan in order to try a newly opened ramen spot with a huge group of newfound friends. Every person on the Humanities Career Trek was so excited to be a part of this group and assisted one another in our networking and experience of the city! Two especially kind students went so far as to talk up my accomplishments to a specific employee that I was dead-set on connecting with. It was so wonderful to watch as every one of the Trek attendees went out of their way to support one another.

Ever since the 2026 Humanities Career Trek, I鈥檝e had a huge influx of connections that I鈥檝e been reaching out to, as well as professionals who have reached out to me with career opportunities. As a second-semester senior, this trek couldn鈥檛 have come at a better time.