Sanjay Varma (A.B. 1989)
Founder and Vice-Chairman, JMATEK International
Economics
“I studied economics, but while studying economics I took other classes. What’s interesting is when I graduated, I was able to see problems through multiple lenses. Not just the economics lens, but also economics and philosophy and political science. It gave me a multidimensional view of approaching the world.”
Dick Costolo (B.S. 1985, LL.D. ’13)
CEO, Chorus
Computer Science
“One of the things I love about the liberal arts is that it teaches you by basically making it a habit of mind to be conscious and aware of perspectives outside of your own. Great leaders have an intense curiosity about and respect for other points of view, which enables them to make better decisions.”
Jennifer Tejada (A.B. 1993)
CEO, PagerDuty
Individualized Concentration
“I was a kid from a small town in the Midwest. For me, LSA let me really open myself up to a diverse tapestry of different subjects, different kinds of people, different cultures. It really helped me build my own awareness of how much I didn’t know that I didn’t know, to the idea that there was always going to be more out there to learn.”
Meghan Liroff (A.B. ’09)
Emergency Medicine Physician, Henry Ford Health System
Women’s Studies
“My women’s studies classes gave me a framework and structure to approach people with tolerance and acceptance. In the E.R., we see people from all walks of life. When I step into a room to gather a patient’s medical history, I need to be able to have an interaction that helps me learn everything I need to know to help them. A strong awareness and an appreciation of difference certainly help with that.”
Paul Viera (A.B. 1981)
CEO and Partner, EARNEST Partners
Economics
“The difficult thing about finance is not the calculation itself, but the assumptions you make before you perform the calculation. That’s where life experiences and judgment come into play. A liberal arts undergraduate education is way better than a refined business education, which you can get later. You need broad life experience to be able to make good financial decisions.”
Fiona Ruddy (A.B. ’10)
Great Communities Collaborative Fellow at the San Francisco Foundation
American Culture
“My undergraduate experience prepared me to critically analyze situations and quickly solve problems as they arise. It also gave me strong writing skills, which really help with my job. In the nonprofit sphere, it’s important to accurately convey the meaning, goals, and impact of your work.”
Camille Edwards (A.B. 1988)
Vice President and News Director, WABC-TV
Communication Studies
“Michigan prepared me for the career I’m in now. It helped me figure out how to be aggressive, and how to ask for what I needed out of professors and classes.”
Dory Gannes (A.B. ’07)
Executive Director of the Olevolos Project and Development Director of the Coral Reef Alliance
English
“Being an English major taught me how to analyze a problem; to look at it from a different, unexpected angle; to build a logical argument and follow the argument through to a solution.”
See What LSA Alumni Are Doing with Their Degrees
Visit our interactive online tool to see how grads from each major find employment in nearly every career field, and how each career field is comprised of LSA grads from almost every major.
