Laura Riddering

Graduate Profile: Laura Riddering

Laura Riddering

Laura Riddering ’03 majored in Spanish because she felt it was important as a global citizen to know another language. She has been mastering the language—and the art of packing a suitcase—ever since.

“While working on a Spanish major at Alma, I was able to do a lot of traveling,” she says. “When I visited places like Ecuador and Mexico, I learned by seeing the world that exists outside of the classroom.”

Riddering, who also majored in biology, works in a local government office in Guatemala coordinating a sustainable community tourism project between many local non-profit organizations through the Peace Corps. When she’s not learning the local Mayan language, she uses her Spanish skills every day.

“Knowing Spanish has been a major asset in obtaining the jobs I’ve had,” she says. “Even if people do speak English almost everywhere, there is a lot more to gain by speaking the local language.”

But her love of linguistics doesn’t stop at Spanish. While working for an international non-profit organization in Switzerland, Riddering used the language acquisition skills she sharpened at Alma College to also become fluent in French.

“Studying Spanish as a major encourages all students to travel to one of the many Spanish-speaking countries in the world, which not only widens the horizons of the traveler but also allows Alma students to learn when the traveler returns,” she says.

 

Colleges of Distinction, a national college guide for students, parents and counselors, identifies Alma College as "one of the best places to learn, grow and succeed." The Colleges of Distinction publication recognizes institutions for their commitment to engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities and successful outcomes.

 

Faculty Profile

Dr. Holly Liu

Dr. Holly Liu
Departments: German

Holly Liu taught at a variety of colleges and universities around the world before coming to Alma College in 2006.

She was internationally educated and is dedicated to teaching German. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Peking University in Beijing, a master’s degree from Texas Tech University and a doctorate from Vanderbilt University. She also studied for two years at the Free University of Berlin.