By Thea McKay ’20
The History Department Career Night on January 31, 2018, was an opportunity for inspiring Loyola Marymount University History alumni to return and encourage current history majors and minors to take full advantage of their degrees. Patrick Cain, class of ‘79 and now partner in Litigation Practices at Smith, Gambrell & Russell law firm, spoke about the importance of hard work and how his History degree allowed him to develop great communication skills which are so vital in today’s job market. Giselle Carrillo, class of ‘09 and current lead educator at Quest Nutrition, discussed the importance of failure in pushing us further to achieve our full potential. Finally, Billy Rehbock, class of ‘16 and now Social Media Editor at Automobile Magazine, emphasized History as a means for storytelling that allows you to communicate your own journey while learning how to listen to the lives of others. They all emphasized that learning does not stop once achieving a degree, and that in order to succeed in the professional world you must have a growth mindset, be passionate, be confident, and put in the work. They stressed the importance of being intentional in what you want to do, as Giselle and Billy both worked with their companies to create their dream positions, using investigative skills gained through the study of history to see what companies truly need and work to fill that gap. They discussed all the skills gained through a History degree, such as primary source analysis which teaches students how to pick out important information, and the ability to analyze that information. During the Q&A portion, students discussed everything from sports cars to grad school, and most importantly, that everyone moves at their own pace and in the end, everything will work out. All three panelists showed just how diverse a History degree is and that there are many different paths to take once a History major walks across the stage and receives his or her LMU diploma.
