Sonny Valcin

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The decision to double-major in English with an emphasis in writing and finance as a first-year student helped Sonny Valcin ’16 land a prestigious internship as a private banking analyst with J.P. Morgan.

After fielding financial questions during his in-person interview for the internship, Valcin engaged in a thoughtful discussion on literature with his interviewer—also an English major.

“I spoke about Homer’s Odyssey, Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Steinbeck’s East of Eden, James Joyce and his work, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” Valcin said. “We struck up a very lengthy conversation on all those great authors.”

After a series of follow-up interviews, Valcin was offered the internship. He believes his chances “would have been slim” without a humanities major coupled with his business major.

“A big part of why I even got the internship was because of the connection formed as fellow English majors,” he said. “Anybody can teach you how to understand the financial spectrum in the corporate world, but the complexities of comprehending great authors and their works take time and great instructors.”

Valcin advises other students to expand their horizons.

“The professors in the English department here are excellent and I am proud to have had Professor Carla Arnell as my first English professor who inspired me to become an English writing major,” he said. “I attribute my accomplishments and critical-thinking skills obtained throughout the years to that first Literary Studies class.”