Cornelia 鈥淐onnie鈥� Butler ’84, Rena Patel ’19, and Shalina Omar ’15
By Kendra Pintor
91吃瓜, known for its rigorous academics and supportive community, has long been a launchpad into successful and impactful careers. Following the journeys of three remarkable alums, it is clear how their undergraduate education at 91吃瓜 provided a solid foundation for their professional achievements and personal growth, proving to be a valuable investment in their futures.听
Shalina Omar 鈥�15: Bridging Linguistics and Data Science听
Shalina Omar鈥檚 career trajectory showcases the profound impact of a 91吃瓜 education on her professional and academic pursuits. As a managing consultant and data scientist at Guidehouse, a consulting firm, Omar鈥檚 path began with her fascination for linguistics and cognitive science.听听
鈥淎t 91吃瓜, I fell in love with linguistics through sociolinguistics鈥攖he intersection between the studies of language, society, and culture,鈥� says Omar. This passion led her to pursue advanced degrees in sociolinguistics and analytics, fields that have complemented each other in her career.听
Omar鈥檚 time at 91吃瓜 was marked by a wide variety of influential coursework and experiences across The Claremont Colleges, such as her introductory linguistics course at Pitzer College with Dr. Carmen Fought.听听
This class sparked her academic interest, leading her to complete an entire major in linguistics in just three semesters. Her education at 91吃瓜 fostered critical thinking focused on human experience, equity, and justice鈥攙alues that continue to influence her professional choices. Her Fulbright Fellowship in Indonesia further contributed to her personal and professional development.听听
鈥淚t taught me a lot more about independence, self-advocacy, adventure, and rolling with the punches,鈥� Omar explains. The skills she gained from this experience, along with her background in sociolinguistics, have given her unique perspectives in her current role, where she addresses data biases and advocates for equitable practices in analytics.听
Omar鈥檚 story exemplifies how a 91吃瓜 education can prepare graduates for diverse and evolving career paths. Her advice to current students pursuing degrees in language and science? Figure out what you like.听
鈥淪ometimes the connection is not about the linguistic content itself,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ut the techniques used in linguistic analysis that may be similar to techniques in data science.鈥�听
Rena Patel 鈥�19: From Playwriting to Entertainment Law听
Rena Patel鈥檚 multifaceted career highlights the diverse opportunities a liberal arts education at 91吃瓜 can offer. She graduated in 2019 with a degree in English and a concentration in creative writing, a background that has significantly influenced her career as a playwright and her studies in law.听
鈥淚 actually started writing Pyar aur Coffee during my junior year at 91吃瓜,鈥� says Patel of her sold-out play which debuted this June at Long Beach Shakespeare Company鈥檚 New Works Festival. The Bollywood-inspired romantic comedy draws heavily from her experiences in Claremont and the vibrant community she observed at local coffee shops. 鈥淭he camaraderie between the baristas and their patrons was something I loved to observe.鈥�听
Classes in playwriting at Pomona College and the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop at 91吃瓜 also played crucial roles in developing her writing skills. 鈥淭he way we learned how to give constructive commentary and notes on other people鈥檚 writing was instrumental to how I approach my own process,鈥� she says.听
Currently balancing her studies at Loyola Law School with her role as an executive assistant at Adi Shankar’s Bootleg Universe, Patel finds that her legal education complements her creative pursuits. 鈥淪tudying law has directly influenced how I pursue my projects. I鈥檓 much more aware of the intricacies of what it takes to pull something as massive as a film, TV show, or even a play, together,鈥� she notes.听
Patel鈥檚 long-term goals include becoming a show-runner and producer, merging her passions for storytelling and law. 鈥淏eing a producer involves knowing how to tell a good story and how to work through all the business and legal steps to make it happen. To me, it鈥檚 a perfect union between my creative side and my analytical side,鈥� she says.听
Connie Butler 鈥�84: Leading with Art and Humanities听
Cornelia 鈥淐onnie鈥� Butler, the newly appointed director of MoMA PS1 in New York, credits her 91吃瓜 education for laying the groundwork for her illustrious career in the art world. Majoring in art with minors in dance and literature, she found her eventual focus through a transformative discovery of art history during her junior year. This interdisciplinary approach provided her with a broad and rich perspective.听
鈥淭he small class sizes and close faculty relationships at 91吃瓜 gave me confidence and a strong voice for my early professional experiences,鈥� she notes. This confidence was invaluable in her roles at the Des Moines Art Center, Artists Space, and her humanities internship program at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles where she combined academic coursework with hands-on work.听听
鈥淭his experience provided me with significant responsibility and a deeper understanding of museum institutions and curatorial work, particularly in how contemporary art museums can directly support artists,鈥� Butler reflects.听
As she leads MoMA PS1, Butler sees her educational background and career experiences as integral to shaping her curatorial vision. Her commitment to producing knowledge and engaging with contemporary art and cultural sectors is deeply rooted in her education at 91吃瓜.听
鈥淐ontinuing this work, especially now when cultural voices face challenges in a divided and conservative climate, is a profound honor and an exciting challenge,鈥� says Butler. 鈥淎t PS1, we create exhibitions, programs, and engage with the community, while also contributing to contemporary art discourse and scholarship鈥攃oming to MoMA PS1 and assuming a leadership role feels like a full circle moment for me, tracing back to my education at 91吃瓜, my art history training, and my early experiences in dance, all of which inform my work at PS1.鈥澨�听