UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For Tyler Vazquez, the College of the Liberal Arts alumni network has been incredibly beneficial for beginning his career. Vazquez, a fourth-year student double majoring in philosophy and communication arts and sciences, is currently interning for the Alliance for American Manufacturing this fall.

Vazquez works on both the communications and public policy sides of the company producing promotional materials and studying pieces of legislation, such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and how they impact the company. Vazquez is currently working on a gift guide that features American-made gifts.

Vazquez appreciates that the company he works for is led by a Penn State College of the Liberal Arts alumnus, Scott Paul.

“It’s amazing that the CEO is a Penn State alum,” Vazquez said. “That’s a big reason why I chose Penn State because of the alumni network. It feels really good knowing that I’m being led by a Penn State alum, and that connection really feels like a bond that separates you from everybody else.”

As CEO of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, Paul has been incredibly active in recruiting College of the Liberal Arts students to work at his company.

“We find Penn State Liberal Arts students to be highly engaged and eager to learn more about communications and public policy work on the ground,” Paul said. “Personally, as a Penn State Liberal Arts alumnus, it’s an honor to offer opportunities to a diverse array of undergraduates who seek practical experiences to supplement their academic work.”

Paul worked with the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network to promote open internship positions. He called the network a “remarkable asset.”

“We’ve utilized the network for about a decade to discover potential interns with a great deal of success. I’d encourage many more public, private and nonprofit sector employers to learn about the network and actively participate.”

While Vazquez has enjoyed his fall internship and appreciates the focus it has given him on his passions, he originally came into Penn State unsure of what he wanted to do as an undergraduate.

“I wanted to go into business and all sorts of different things but chose philosophy to help me get into law school," Vazquez said.

Vazquez is a Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar — programs that he praises. He said the values and experiences he has gained from these opportunities have been incredibly beneficial.

Additionally, he attributes much of his success to his peers and faculty and staff in the College of the Liberal Arts. He credits Ellen Taricani, his thesis adviser and an associate teaching professor of communication arts and sciences, as his main mentor.

“She helped me a lot with my thesis but also within school as a whole,” Vazquez said. “She’s always giving me pointers and has been that guiding hand from junior year on.”

Like many, Vazquez experienced the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on his college experience. He was a first-year student when the initial lockdown began and said this event changed his outlook on not only his career but his life as well.

“That is a pivotal factor as to how I am performing in school but in a positive way,” Vazquez said. “Having this time taken away gave me a sense of urgency and a sense of really wanting to do better. I took matters into my own hands and taught myself how to be more independent. I pushed myself to do better every day. A lot of the opportunities I have now definitely came from me changing to this mindset.”

One opportunity Vazquez cited as beneficial is working with his father’s company, a natural disaster relief company based out of Puerto Rico. His father started the business after Hurricane Maria, and Vazquez has been working with him since.

“It’s really cool because they’re subcontracted under FEMA,” Vazquez said. “I help on back-office stuff like documenting timesheets and managing the website and company emails.”

By building on the foundation he’s gained in the College of the Liberal Arts and through his out-of-classroom experiences, Vazquez still plans to pursue his original goal of attending law school after graduation.