Corey is an iCLA graduate of Spring 2020. Currently, Corey is in the United States’ Navy, training to become a linguist at the Defense Language Institute.
Spring 2020 was an especially challenging time for new graduates. A tough job market for new graduates was exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic that the world was entering just as Corey was graduating from iCLA. Although his path after graduation was not straightforward, Corey eventually found his calling as a linguist.
We asked Corey a few questions about his journey since graduating from iCLA and finding his passion and career path working for the United States government.
Q: Where are you currently employed?
The United States’ Navy.
Q: Can you tell me about your job position and your work responsibilities?
I’m currently an unrated sailor with the rank of E-3, training to be a linguist at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. While training, I’m required to attend immersive language classes 6-7 hours a day Monday to Friday, attend physical training 3 days a week, and report for military duty once a week. I also have between 2-3 hours of language homework a night.
Q: Tell me about your job experience and how you entered your current field of work.
Joining the Navy has been a really fulfilling experience. In order to put my education at iCLA to the best use and start working towards my goal working for the US Department of State, I signed my contract to enter the Navy as a linguist in December of 2022. I shipped off to Navy Recruit Training Command (boot camp) January 4th, 2023, graduated March 17th in the top 5% of my class, and classed into my language training May 4th. Unlike any other job I’ve had, every day as a Sailor feels like a step in the right direction, every test results in growth, and every task completed gives a real sense of accomplishment.
As for how I got to this point, let me start with the pandemic, since I graduated [from iCLA] in March 2020. Covid was a weird time. It was one of those world-shaking events that can define a decade and take just as long to recover from. I tried to stay in Japan to go to graduate school or find a good job throughout most of Covid to no avail. To stay afloat I worked as an English tutor.
So I returned to the US in April of 2021 completely dejected. I ended up falling back on my microbiology experience and got a job as a Chemistry Technician at Thermo Fisher Scientific in June. It wasn’t what I really wanted to do though, and I was constantly frustrated. A year later I gave up on a career at Thermo and began job hunting again.
At some point I ran into my high school career counselor at lunch and asked her advice. She suggested I reach out to the FBI and the NSA because she knew they were hiring and thought the government would be the best place for me. I actually got to the first interview with the NSA, but the NSA and the FBI agents both said the same thing: that I was disqualified from a security clearance required for the job because I hadn’t lived in the US for 3 of the last 5 years. Then FBI agents, after learning my story, suggested I talk to military recruiters as not only I could get the security clearance by enlisting, but I could also work as a linguist which would open doors to the jobs I dreamed of getting.
I reached out to Navy and Air Force officers and enlisted and learned as much about this career path as I could. It helped that I had been interested in joining the military as an officer even before I attended iCLA, being a part of programs like US Air Force ROTC. Finally, I decided enlisting in the US Navy was the way to go and now here I am, training to become a qualified linguist and living with a sense of pride in what I do.
Q: What was your motivation to enter your current field of work?
You could say I’m a lover of humanity and technology. I want to see humanity, technology, and global civilization develop, to see what heights we can reach. On a more basic level, I love learning about other ways of thinking and working with groups motivated by the same things as me. Ultimately, I think the best way I can achieve this is by working for the US’ Department of State to help keep peace and foster international cooperation. I see myself as taking a step in that direction by enlisting in the US Navy to further develop my skills as a linguist, with the hopes of commissioning as a US Navy officer in the future.
Through this job, I can build valuable government work experience, travel the world, and continue to learn about other cultures.
Q: In what ways has your academic experiences in your courses or skills you gained at iCLA been advantageous/applicable in your work?
I didn’t know until I started training as a linguist here at the Defense Language Institute, but a liberal arts education is the best degree for a linguist. As a linguist, the more you know about various subjects, the better you can translate and interpret accurately. It also helps you pick up new vocabulary in other languages tremendously because you already have an idea of the concepts in the foreign language material. My academic experiences at iCLA, especially the culture and international-focused courses, have given me an advantage because they taught me how to see various things from the perspective of other cultures.
Q: Was there anything you were glad you accomplished during your time at iCLA (academic or extracurricular)?
Oh man, there’s so much. There are many things I could list off here, like traveling Japan, studying abroad in Croatia, and learning martial arts like Kyudo. My experiences while attending iCLA really helped me mature and grow as a person. I learned from classmates, professors, and friends about the world’s cultures, the problems they faced, and their perspectives on the world. They all helped me broaden my views and become a better person. Academically, I grew most as a writer, an economist, and a philosopher. I learned how to bring multiple subjects together to find a cohesive solution to political, economic, and social problems. Without the support of everyone at iCLA, from students, professors, and administration, I couldn’t have grown so much, accomplished such things.
Q: What did you enjoy most as an iCLA student?
The community. 100%. Unlike any other place I know, students at iCLA essentially live in the same building as the classes and the professor’s offices. This creates a very close, unique community which makes it easy to make new friends and become familiar with cultures other than your own. Sometimes it can amplify challenging social situations, but I think the good far outweighs the bad. It’s so easy to get a study group together, engage in conversation with international students and professors, organize events like the art show and talent shows, or gather some friends to go out to town.
Q: What is your advice for current iCLA students?
Take advantage of the unique community you’ve become a part of. Make friends and develop connections with as many of yourselves as you can, because they could become some of the best friends you’ll ever have. Learn from each other and lean on each other, because that’s how you’ll get stronger. You never know who’ll be the one to give you the inspiration at a key moment in your life, but you’re bound to find someone like that at iCLA. Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask your professors for advice and help preparing for what you want to do after iCLA. They’re there to help you succeed; all you need to do is ask and show them what you care about.