Matias Crespo

❍ Field of current or former occupation: Service Industry
❍ Email: [email protected]
❍ Year of graduation: 2015

Question: What is your current occupation and where do you live? Please briefly describe your duties and responsibilities. How long have you been at this position?

Matias Crespo: I currently work at Tourico Holidays Inc. a global travel brokerage company that provides travel inventory to technology companies like Priceline, Hotwire, Getaroom.com etc. I work as a Client Services Agent in Orlando, FL. I have been with the company for almost 2 months. My responsibilities include:
• Manage global client relations and accounts (B2B and B2C channels) through CRM, Cisco and Zendesk software.
• Troubleshoot time-sensitive client and supplier challenges throughout the booking process and serve as the primary consultant for both parties.

Question: Did studying German language and culture at Williams College help you in your professional and personal development? If yes, then how were German Studies useful to you? What opportunities and challenges did the German major open up for you both specific to your current occupation and more generally?

Matias Crespo: Studying German was the primary factor behind my personal and professional development. I started learning German in high school and developed a profound passion for it. Learning German led to me discovering not only German but Europe through study abroad opportunities at Williams. Mastering German definitely opened up career opportunities for me because it made me stand out as a job candidate. Since I already spoke Spanish, knowing Spanish English and German definitely proved to be an advantage during the job hunting process. A reason why I was hired by my company was due to the immense travel experience that I had as well as for my German language abilities, which is a benefit to the company due to the high amount of European clients and hotels that we have contracts with. Following German studies allowed me to become a critical thinker and allowed me to approach every day situations through multiple perspectives.

Question: Please share your advice or recommendation about the German department at Williams to a prospective student who is considering taking courses or majoring in our program.

Matias Crespo: Do it! Learning German could be the best decision that you could make while at Williams. The German department is super supportive in all of your academic and personal interest and all the faculty are mentors and amazing faculty. The diverse amount of classes offered by the German department allow you to explore subjects that are both relevant to modern Germany and very interesting to learn. For example, I took a class on German comics which was one of the best classes I have taken at Williams!

Question: Would you be willing to serve as a contact person for current students of German about your career or life path? If so, how should students contact you?

Matias Crespo: I would love to be a point of contact for any students considering studying German or if they would like to have any professional advise. The best way to contact me would be per this email [email protected]