Emily Marlatt '07

Emily Marlatt says Allegheny College prepared her well for the responsibility and accountability that came quickly once she began as an associate at Towers Perrin, a human resources consulting and professional services firm.

"I think the transition would have been much harder if Allegheny had not always challenged me academically and personally," she says. "I was much more confident in myself and in my work due to my academic and extracurricular experience at Allegheny."

Marlatt explains that her senior project reinforced the value of the persistent, creative, and individual problem solving that Allegheny emphasized during her first three years at the College. And she has found that her knowledge of underlying economic theories has helped her better understand the challenges that businesses face.

Marlatt says firms are looking for employees with strong communication skills and a range of internships and other experiences. She also encourages students to research a variety of career choices by attending interviews and sessions offered through the Allegheny College Center for Experiential Learning.

"The more options you look into," she says, "the more you'll understand the incredible number of options any one person has when graduating. By meeting people from different companies and schools and learning about them, you'll begin to develop a sense of where you fit."

The First Five is a series of profiles celebrating the accomplishments of recent Allegheny College graduates in their first five years as alumni. Read more First Five profiles here.