“Don’t be afraid to be excellent,” Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez told students on Jan. 10 during the Utah Valley University (UVU) College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) Degrees to Anywhere Lecture Series. President Tuminez was the event’s speaker, recounting her journey from earning a humanities degree in Russian Literature to becoming UVU president.

The Degrees to Anywhere Lecture Series aims to show students that a college degree in humanities and social sciences can take students to any career field from business to medicine.

“Remember that humanities and social sciences make you an interesting person,” Tuminez said. “It gives you depth. Humanities and social sciences teach you the art of small talk and storytelling.”

President Tuminez took her degree in Russian Literature and was able to turn it into several fruitful careers in technology, public policy, foreign relations, philanthropy, and higher education. She encouraged students to use the skills they garner in the humanities — communication, asking questions, synthesis — to work to their advantage in the workforce.

“The most successful people in this world aren’t about giving answers,” she said. “They’re about asking really good, hard, interesting questions.”

“When I applied for my job in Wall Street, and I applied to Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and S. G. Warburg, I knew nothing about banking,” Tuminez said. “But I persuaded them to hire me because I was a great generalist. I could tell fluff from substance.”

President Tuminez concluded her remarks by encouraging students pursuing degrees in CHSS to ignore those who attempt to dissuade them from a degree in humanities and social sciences.

“Your ability to show empathy makes you so intriguing as a humanities and social science major,” she said. “Don't apologize for the humanities and social sciences. We are needed very badly. We just need to chart our pathway smarter in the world of work.”

President Tuminez earned her bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in Russian literature and international relations (1986). She later earned a master’s degree from Harvard University in Soviet studies (1988) and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in political science (1996).

Before becoming president of UVU, President Tuminez was an executive at Microsoft, where she led corporate, external, and legal affairs in Southeast Asia. She also served as vice dean of research at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. She has worked in philanthropy and venture capital in New York City and is a permanent member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Learn more about the Degrees to Anywhere Lecture Series.