2017 marked the 10th anniversary of the Department of Languages‘s annual Language and International Trade (L&IT) Conference, held March 8 in the Hendrix Student Center ballrooms. The theme of this year’s conference was inclusiveness in the business world. The conference featured a keynote speech about the business case for diversity by Lee Gill, Clemson’s Chief Diversity Officer, who discussed how diversity and inclusion benefit businesses and how they can also make the Clemson community stronger and more competitive. Clemson students moderated a panel with L&IT alumni who are now working at international companies. The graduates discussed their studies at Clemson and their current work in the industry.
The conference gave current language students a chance to see how their studies might translate to a future career. Spanish student Bailey Taylor attended a panel discussion with local business leaders on inclusiveness, cross-cultures, and opportunities in a globalized world. “I found the session to be very thought provoking,” she said, “and it interested me in possibly minoring in Spanish.”
L&IT French student Anna Caroline Bridgeman helped organize the conference. “I really enjoyed listening to people in the international business group talk about their work experiences,” she said. “Mr. Gill’s presentation on the business case for inclusiveness was very inspiring. It was also rewarding to hear Clemson alumni talk about their job experience after graduating from Clemson. It was a great experience learning about the different job opportunities that exist for Clemson students in L&IT.”
