Jessica Stertzer

❍ Year of graduation: 2013
❍ Litigation Paralegal, Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP


Question: How did you to decide to major in Spanish at Williams?

Jessica Stertzer: I considered majoring in Spanish so valuable because it is interdisciplinary and benefitted me in the same way that other humanities classes at Williams would, while also allowing me to maintain my knowledge of the language.

Question: What are some of your favorite memories of classes, readings, professors, or study abroad experiences?

Jessica Stertzer: Favorite Classes and readings: Spanish Civil War through Lit & Film with Professor Fox, La voz dormida by Dulce Chacón. Love in the Spanish Golden Age (TUT) with Professor Rouhi, La vida es sueño by Pedro Calderón de la Barca.

Question: How did majoring in Spanish help prepare you for what you do now?

Jessica Stertzer: In the upper level Spanish courses at Williams, students are forced to grapple with concepts that are as complex as those that are dealt with in other disciplines. Yet, Spanish majors have the added intellectual burden of having to express their thoughts surrounding these already advanced subjects. Having practiced this, I find it easier now to express myself confidently in English as well.
At work, I am also asked to translate meeting and phone calls with pro bono clients who do not speak English, since those of my coworkers who took Spanish but did not major in it have forgotten a lot.