Arabic major Victoria Braga ’11 majored in Arabic at Notre Dame and went on to complete her J.D. from George Washington University Law School. She is now a judicial law clerk in the Executive Office for Immigration Review at the U.S. Department of Justice.
“The most beneficial part of the Arabic program at Notre Dame is its comprehensiveness. Majoring in Arabic requires students to take language, literature, history, and religion classes. The Arabic faculty are approachable, supportive, and genuinely invested in their students’ education and success. The coursework is interesting, informative, and relevant.
“As an immigration attorney, many of the cases I work on involve Arabic speakers and individuals from countries in the Middle East. My proficiency in Arabic, as well as my understanding of history, religion, politics, and culture in the Middle East help me to understand the issues in these cases, and to produce well-reasoned and well-informed work.
“In an increasingly connected world, employees’ foreign language skills, knowledge of other cultures, and expansive worldviews are critical to the success of most companies, organizations, and government agencies. An educational background in Arabic is unique and contemporarily relevant—it makes a student an attractive job applicant, regardless of their chosen career path.”