Alumni Connections — the panels of Emory University alumni sharing how their humanities majors shaped and expanded their careers — continue this fall for all interested students in Emory College of Arts and Sciences and Oxford College, Emory’s liberal arts colleges for undergraduates.

The virtual events allow departments to host successful alumni from all over the globe, working in fields as diverse as business, medicine and technology. Upcoming panels include:

• Theater and dance alumni on Monday, Nov. 1, from 7:30-9 p.m. EST; register here.
• German Studies alumni on Wednesday, Nov. 3, from 6-7:30 p.m. EST; register here.
• Classics alumni on Monday, Nov. 8, from 6-7:30 p.m. EST; register here. 

Students currently with a major or minor in those departments are especially encouraged to attend, though the events are open to all Emory students, faculty and staff.

Alumni Connections is one of four components of the Humanities Pathways initiative, which through the support of a $1.25 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, focuses on faculty innovations that help undergraduates understand the value of a humanities education.

More than 200 members of the Emory community joined last year’s inaugural panels to hear how honing critical thinking, creativity and collaboration skills through humanities courses and experiences translated in a variety of meaningful careers, says Peter Höyng, professor of German studies at Emory College.

“It’s important to see the purpose of studying the humanities takes you far beyond that field of study,” says Höyng, who co-directs Humanities Pathways with Tasha Dobbin-Bennett, associate professor of art history and studio art at Oxford College.

“The really exciting part about the panels is we get to hear specifically how the skills our humanities majors or minors cultivated gave them a leg up in all kinds of careers, in all kinds of ways they never imagined,” he adds.