For most college students, the workforce is a scary place. Who knows what the real world will hold? The days of lecture halls and textbooks, dorm floor events, and afternoons chilling on the quad are gone. So what is a Truman student to do to prepare for life after school?

Career Center Resources
Truman's Career Center offers all sorts of tools and opportunities to help students. If you are struggling to choose an occupation, interest and personality assessments as well as an extensive print library of resources can help you decide. For students approaching graduation, the Career Center holds a career fair each semester; provides mock interviews and resume and cover letter critiquing; and, hosts on-campus interviews with a variety of companies, including Fortune 500 heavy-hitters Boeing and Eli Lilly.

The Value of Networking
Some students have already found the value of networking by speaking to others about who they are and what they want to accomplish. Lesa Ketterlinus, director of the Career Center, says, "Through networking, students have a number of people who assist them with their career decision-making, internship, or job search." Ketterlinus encourages all students to network by joining organizations and taking leadership roles.

An Internship: Crucial
Focus groups organized by the Career Center have concluded that an internship is one of the most important actions a student can take. "Not only do internships give students valuable experience for their resume," states Ketterlinus, "but they also help them learn more about their work-related preferences and career goals." To locate a valuable internship, visit the Career Center, or go to http://career.truman.edu.

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"Show me the money!!"

Shane Mecham, a 2001 Truman alum, doesn't make it a regular practice to shout this oft-quoted Jerry Maguire phrase from his office. But as a real-world sports agent, his job is actually quite similar to the one depicted by Tom Cruise in the 1996 blockbuster.

The Jerry Maguire Way of Life
Mecham, an attorney at Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP in Kansas City, Missouri, specializes in sports law. "I represent individual NFL players. I'm an NFLPA-Certified Contract Advisor, which is a technical way of saying that I'm a sports agent."

So what does an NFL sports agent do, exactly? Well, in true Jerry Maguire fashion, Mecham markets his clients to teams, and positions them for the draft by talking with scouts. He negotiates players' contracts, and then enforces those contracts. "If a player gets fined, I might have to appeal it," he says. "In cases of injury, I make sure he gets a second medical opinion." He also helps players establish second careers after leaving the league and makes sure they receive retirement benefits.

While his sports law group primarily serves NFL players, they also represent institutional clients, such as the St. Louis Sports Commission and the Kansas City Royals. In addition, their client base consists of more than 30 coaches.

Truman: A Part of His Past and Present
Mecham never played high school or college football. "The good Lord saw fit to bless me with a silver tongue and lead feet," he says. "I went to Truman on a debate scholarship. I spent my time on the forensics team, doing speech and debate. That program was an exceptional experience; it piqued my interest in negotiation and litigation."

He praises his entire Truman education: "My major, political science, is extremely competitive. I was among students and faculty who were interested in working hard."

Mecham stays in touch with Truman's forensics team. He'll soon act as a volunteer judge at a competition between Truman and William Jewell College.

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Truman campus is buzzing with anticipation of Hispanic Heritage Month. Beginning September 16, a number of exciting and "spicy" activities, available to students for free, are designed to both culturally zap the mind and tickle the taste buds.

Hispanic Happenings
The cultural celebration kicks off with a traditional Sunday dinner, motivating student attendance by mixing education with free food. A week later, students will Merengue and Salsa the night away at the Latin Dance!

Immigration Panel
The new panel discussion, "We Have a Dream Too," has the Truman community talking. Three different speakers will present their involvement in passing legislation to help Hispanic immigrants. "I'm very excited about this," says Nohemi Alvarez, program coordinator for the Hispanic American Leadership Organization (HALO). A student at Truman, Alvarez has devoted a considerable amount of time helping organize events to create awareness. "I immigrated to the states when I was a kid. I know the hard work it takes to gain residency."

Support for Underrepresented Cultures
Hispanic Heritage Month is part of a series, including Black Heritage Month, Native American Heritage Month, and others. The series is organized by the Multicultural Affairs Center. The Program Coordinator, Laura Bates, explains that the center's mission statement is "to be a support system for all underrepresented populations on campus and to educate others on the current issues that affect them. That's what Hispanic Heritage Month is all about."

And that's what Truman's all about: embracing its ethnically and culturally diverse community of students.

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In coming years, you might hear a fewer number of "yes's" and a larger number of "oui's" emanating from Truman classrooms. In fact, a whole new world of language, culture, and literature will be open to discovery when a new major, Romance language, is introduced to Truman students.

According to Tom Capuano, professor of foreign language, the Romance language major will be an innovative interdisciplinary major. "It's distinct from a Spanish and French major because students will explore the connections among the different languages in the Romance language family. Optional courses include French, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Spanish, and Ancient History."

This is a unique program that is unparalleled among public universities in Missouri.

Another benefit of this program is that it will provide a form of cross-fertilization in the classroom. Professor Capuano adds, "Students interested in how Latin changed through the centuries in the Mediterranean will be interacting with students studying post-colonial issues in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. And those students will be in classes with others interested in international business, international relations, translation/interpretation, and teaching foreign languages."

While the program does not formally exist yet, the Coordinating Board for Higher Education is expected to give final approval for the program at its October 11 meeting. Ten students have expressed interest; three have already mapped out a four-year plan. Interested students should be able to formally declare it as their major in the spring of 2008.

One of those students, sophomore Anna Haynes, shared her excitement about the major. "I've loved Spanish since seventh grade, and my interest in the language and the cultures of Latin America and Spain has continued to grow. I started taking Portuguese as a freshman at Truman. When Dr. Capuano told us about the new Romance languages major, I became excited at the prospect of picking up a few more languages."

Haynes's new major will literally take her places after she graduates. "I'd like to pursue a career that involves travel and/or living abroad," she says. "My goal is to branch out of my comfort zone and communicate with people who have been raised in different cultures."

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