Alumni Profile - Colleen Depman, '07

As a self-declared book nerd, I first viewed my English major as an excuse to unceasingly read and discuss books. The fact that being an English major launched my career in national security was an added, albeit unexpected, bonus.

Working as an intelligence analyst for the Department of Justice, I draw on the critical thinking and writing skills I developed as an English major on a daily basis. I find myself redirecting the ability to discern in a literary work and using that ability to recognize recurrent patterns in national security threats.

Each day I am confronted with the challenge of analyzing large amounts of raw intelligence, and I draw on my English background to critically evaluate the intelligence, identify significant information, and concisely communicate the findings to the U.S. intelligence community.

Now, as I prepare to continue my career in the national security field by attending law school, I know I can rely on my foundations as an English major to continue propelling me forward.

Want to submit an alumni profile? Tell us about your career path: english@loyola.edu