Alumni Profile: Matt vandenBerg
Alma College political science major and graduate Matt vandenBerg says his Spanish minor was not only an opportunity for him to learn more about another culture, it honed his English speaking and writing skills.
"While serving as a legislative assistant for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives a couple of years ago, I was asked to assume several spokesperson duties for the office," the 2002 graduate says. "The sound grammatical training that I received as a Spanish minor at Alma College helped me to approach that exciting new opportunity with confidence."
"In my current position, I design and direct capital fund-raising campaigns for nonprofit organizations, a job that requires the ability to speak and write convincingly," he says. "I strongly believe that the solid communication skills that the Spanish minor offered to me will continue to assist me throughout my career."
vandenBerg is a campaign director for Community Counselling Service in Washington D.C., and was a legislative assistant and deputy spokesman for U.S. Representative Pete Hoekstra from the summer of 2006 to December 2007. He received his Master of Public Affairs degree from Indiana University in 2005. He hopes to complete a doctorate in strategic management, eventually becoming the president of a college or university.
He says his Spanish minor has been invaluable in his profession and his life.
"My training in Spanish has proven to be a crucial part of my preparation for life beyond Alma," he says. "It is easy to see how developing an understanding of another language and culture can make someone more worldly."
Though his father is an alumnus, vandenBerg was drawn to Alma by the variety of opportunities on campus and the faculty.
"The factors that led me to consider attending Alma were the wide range of available leadership opportunities, the challenging academic environment, the value placed on providing students with personal attention and the emphasis on civic engagement," he says.
While at Alma, vandenBerg served as the president and vice president of Student Congress and drum major of the Kiltie Marching Band. He also was a resident assistant in Mitchell, Bruske and Gelston halls, a member of Sigma Chi (a social fraternity), the internal coordinator of Students Offering Service and a trumpeter in the Alma College Jazz Band.
