Program Director Encourages Multiculturalism In Chicago Education
For businesses that want to expand their clients outside of America, it's imperative that someone within the organization be able to speak another language. Although some students may groan at the foreign language requirement, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that being bilingual in a profession like a translator or interpreter could lead to an average salary of $45K.
While Chicago's minority population is highest for African-Americans and students with a Hispanic origin, Forbes reports that over 43 schools are adding Chinese to foreign language choices. Whether students are bilingual or trilingual, in the education industry alone, being able to speak a second language can spike an annual salary as a post-secondary teacher from $68K to $193K, even higher than an international business degree owner.
Aurora Reinke, who holds a bachelor's in Computer Information Systems and a master's in International Business Studies, can attest to how important international studies is in an educational and business environment.
"The world that we're living in and the world that we are moving into is more and more multi-cultural and multi-lingual," said Reinke, the program director for the International School of Business at Kendall's International School of Business.
Reinke started her international education in high school. She took a special elective course, and paid her way to take a trip to Paris and London to interview chief information officers (CIOs). She also learned to speak Spanish while pursuing her master's, and lived and worked in Mexico for awhile.
"That was one of the life-changing elements of my education. I [learned] a second language and embraced it. I experienced another culture and interacted with people with a different worldview from me. That's invaluable. And it's something that I try to encourage our students to consider."
Reinke decided to use her gift for public speaking and her enjoyment for strategizing as the initiative to pursue a career in teaching.
"I run my business program at Kendall College like a business," said Reinke. "There's a vision. There's a strategy. There are goals. There are metrics. I have operations. Everything is still the same, but I have the added benefit and value of being in higher education. I get to have everything that I enjoy about business management but with a greater sense of purpose."
Shamontiel L. Vaughn is a professional journalist who has work featured in AXS, Yahoo!, Chicago Defender and Chicago Tribune. She's been an Examiner since 2009 and currently writes about 10 categories on Examiner.com.
