BAIS Alumni Today

Javier Jalice (BAIS, '09)

I received my BAIS from UNO in May of 2009, with a concentration in Diplomacy and International Organizations and a minor in French. The BAIS program and its faculty and staff provided me with the tools and experiences necessary to succeed. I began my studies in the BAIS Program in the fall of 2005, a week before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. My goal was to study history, political science, international relations, sociology, and French. The BAIS program allowed me to do just that. Furthermore, the program encouraged me to study abroad and gave me the opportunity to experience what was the best summer of my academic life. Because of that experience, I was able to improve my foreign language skills and to graduate with a French minor. Throughout my four years in the BAIS program I was able to work part-time and still enjoy the benefits of a wide array of class choices at flexible times that always worked for me.

Upon completion of my undergraduate studies at UNO, I enrolled at Loyola University's College of Law in New Orleans where I quickly learned that my BAIS education would be crucial to my success in law school. At Loyola, I became a member of the Trial Advocacy Program in 2011 and advanced with my team to the finals in intramural competition. Afterwards, I was asked to join the Loyola Law National Trial Advocacy Team and to compete in the 2012 American Association of Justice National Trial Advocacy Competition in Los Angeles. I then competed in the 2012 and 2013 LSBA Trial Advocacy Competition, and I served on the Trial Advocacy Executive Board as Vice-President. I was also a Managing Editor and the Symposium Editor for Loyola's Journal of Public Interest Law. In addition, I served as a student practitioner in Loyola's Criminal Defense Clinic. During the summer of 2011, I clerked for the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office. And during the summer of 2012, I clerked for the firms Gieger Laborde, The Kullman Firm, and Duplass Zwain. I graduated from law school in the spring of 2013, receiving Loyola University's Spirit of Ignatius award as an "Outstanding College of Law Graduate." After taking the Louisiana bar, I plan to stay in New Orleans and pursue a career in litigation.

I highly recommend UNO's BAIS program to any student looking to receive a solid education. The rigorous nature of the BAIS program provided me with crucial analytical skills that have allowed me succeed. UNO's program is rigorous, engaging, and is also flexible and built around the needs of individual students. UNO's BAIS program will open up great opportunities for all of its students, and I highly recommend it to anyone.

 

 

Jennifer Gill (BAIS, '08)

I graduated from UNO in December of 2008 with a BAIS degree with a concentration in Business Administration. In spite of all my struggles (Hurricane Katrina and taking care of two little ones), I managed to slowly expand my professional experience in the banking industry.

It was not easy, but my goal was to use my bilingual skills (Spanish-English) in any way I could. In 2007, after my relocation from New Orleans to Hattiesburg, MS due to Katrina, I was given the opportunity to start working for Regions Bank as a Bilingual Mortgage Customer Service Representative. I worked in this field for three years while working on my BAIS degree. One of my duties was to help translate in my department and in the other servicing areas such as collections, foreclosure, bankruptcy, and the mortgage loan origination departments. I also helped Human Resources with the screening of potential bilingual candidates. My exposure to these areas helped me better understand the mortgage field and also gave me an insight into what I wanted to do next. So I set my mind on becoming a Mortgage Loan Originator. It took a lot of work and determination. Luckily, in January of 2011, I was able to transfer from the servicing department to the mortgage processing department as a Mortgage Loan Processor for a portfolio mortgage product. Then, in November of 2012, I was finally given the opportunity to become a Bilingual Mortgage Loan Originator. It has been a tough job but a very rewarding one, and I am enjoying every aspect of it! I know that I would not have done it without the education I received from UNO. And I thank you as well for your academic guidance. Your BAIS program is an excellent program that I feel opens up the door for great job opportunities. The business core curriculum helped me tremendously and I would recommend it to anybody.

 

Aaron Forbes (BAIS, '05)

I received my BAIS from UNO in December of 2005, with a concentration in Latin American Studies and Spanish. This program and its staff have given me many rich and exciting professional experiences, both during and after my undergraduate studies.

In 2002 I was awarded a NSEP Scholarship for 10 months of study at UDEM (Universidad de Monterrey, Mexico). During the summer of 2003 I worked with Mexican university students and village members in the indigenous communities of the Sierra Tarahumara, on a sustainable gardening project. With the encouragement of the UNO BAIS Director and staff, I signed on for a second summer as an intern on the same project. This internship and sojourn in the Sierra Tarahumara helped narrow my interests, and so upon my return to UNO I began to focus my studies on Latin America, cultural anthropology and community development.

Upon completion of my undergraduate studies I joined the Peace Corps (2007-2009) and worked in Benin, West Africa as an Environmental Youth Educator. There I learned French and Fongbe as I assisted in the development of the gardening and agricultural program at a rural youth farm school and orphanage. During this time, I also worked with the International non-profit Unseen Stories, on the filming of a documentary on child trafficking. In 2010 I returned to New Orleans where I was hired as the Founding Spanish Teacher and as an ESOL Founding Teacher at Morris Jeff Community School, which is now a 3rd year public charter school and an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program Candidate School. In 2012 I joined the prestigious Americas Awards for Latino Children's and Young Adult Literature as a Review Committee Member. That same year I also joined WACNO (World Affairs Council of New Orleans) as a board member and as the K-12 Outreach Program Coordinator.

I highly recommend the UNO BAIS program to any student looking for a career in international relations. UNO's program is rigorous, engaging, and is also flexible and built around the needs of the individual student.