We are very happy to announce another enjoyable “mentoring lunch” with a Germanics alum and current majors. On February 13, 2017, Darren Langston (class of 2016) joined three students to chat over curry at Shalimar’s on the Ave. Darren currently works for Amazon as a German Speaking Risk Buyer Investigation Specialist. He is excited about being able to use German on a daily basis in his job, and is very pleased with his prospects to advance his career at Amazon. You can read more about Darren’s new job here. Darren shared amusing anecdotes about working at Amazon and reminisced about courses in Germanics at UW that were “mind-blowing.” He also gave our students helpful practical tips about the application process and how to make themselves attractive to employers. Darren also generously offered to share advice for German majors thinking about applying to Amazon. Helpful hint: to get the best insider tips, invite him for a beer!
Present were three of our bright young seniors and juniors: Maddy Grossblatt; James Wilson; and Anthony Whitfield. They all expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to learn from one another’s experiences and ideas afterwards.
Darren: “It was a pleasure! Thank you for having me, and thank you to the department for lunch! I hope some of my words meant something! Again, please do not be afraid to reach out to me if you have ANY questions. I'm happy to answer and point you in the right direction. I'm also happy to keep you up to date with possibilities at Amazon for you all. With that said, Ich bin immer mit Bier einverstanden!”
James: “Thank you to the Germanics department for putting this luncheon together. The experiences that Darren shared with us were very insightful, particularly how important it is to put oneself out there in order to make a strong impression. The connections and insights exchanged during this lunch will be invaluable in the future when thinking about career options.”
Maddy: “It was intriguing and insightful to listen to Darren! Also, encouraging hearing about his success when he was in my position just a while ago.”