Although Farah Weannara has been busy exploring her new home in Rotterdam, she made some time to talk with fellow Clarkie — and fellow “Graduate of the Last Decade” — Alexis Church ’15 for GOLD Nuggets.
When did you graduate and what did you do at Clark?
I graduated with my bachelor’s in psychology and management in 2016 and stayed for a fifth year to earn my MBA in 2017. I was an active member of the International Students Association (ISA) and was heavily involved in the planning and coordination of the annual Third Culture Kids and Global Nomads Conference.
Where are you now? What have you been up to?
After graduating, I stayed in Worcester to do some research with Barbara Bigelow in the Graduate School of Management while looking for a full-time role. In 2018, I moved to the Netherlands, where I started my career in human resources as a technical recruiter for an IT and engineering consultancy.
About six months ago, I started my full-time position at Unilever as an HR trainee in the Future Leaders Program. My work ranges from optimizing talent pools and creating Unilever-wide recruitment tools, to aiding in global succession planning using data visualization. My partner, Francisco Borges-Rivera ’16, joined me and is now a graduate student at AKV St. Joost, an academy of art and design.
What about hobbies?
Since work takes up a lot of my time, I love relaxing and being cozy at home in the evenings. I also love exploring new areas of Rotterdam (especially the food!), watching films and TV series, and cooking with Francisco.
Do you have any ‘adulting’ tips or advice you can share with your fellow Clarkies?
My biggest ‘adulting’ tip is, “Go for it!” Are you unsure if you’ll get your dream job? Go for it anyway! Weighing a decision to move to a new city? Not sure if you want to pursue a career in the arts? Go for it! Life is full of uncertainties and what-ifs, but you will save so much time by acting instead of overthinking. This goes hand-in-hand with the imposter syndrome that many of us carry immediately after graduation. Be confident, trust your abilities, and find a mentor if you can.
To international Clarkies trying to find a job in the U.S.: Ask for help and tap into the amazing network of those who have graduated and managed to land sponsorships. You can only do your best, and it’s okay if you don’t get sponsored. Always know that you will be okay. Life has a funny way of working out.
