{"638948":{"#nid":"638948","#data":{"type":"news","title":"CEO of Futurus, LLC, Annie Eaton, Highlights the Importance of Language Skills in her Career","body":[{"value":"\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/youtu.be\/ACSWLYA_jCM\u0022\u003ELanguage: A Gateway to Future Success\u003C\/a\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnnie Eaton, alumna\u0026nbsp;of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/modlangs.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Modern Languages\u003C\/a\u003E and CEO of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/futurus.com\/\u0022\u003EFuturus\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;an Atlanta-based immersive technologies software development company, interviewed with us and shared some wisdom about her student experience at Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Modern Languages\u0026nbsp;and her career in the\u0026nbsp;technology industry.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERead the full article below.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u0026rsquo;s the story behind Futurus?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026ldquo;I was introduced to\u0026nbsp;virtual\u0026nbsp;reality back in 2013 by a former coworker who ended up becoming my co-founder of Futurus.\u0026nbsp;I was immediately captured by the technology.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBack then, virtual reality was\u0026nbsp;still\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;fairly primitive\u0026nbsp;system. Now, the industry has grown in to a high-tech 360-degree world experience. We made the decision to start our\u0026nbsp;own company and\u0026nbsp;specialize in bringing virtual and augmented reality experiences to a wide variety of customers\u0026nbsp;such as large corporations and nonprofits.\u0026nbsp;Our primary drive comes from the desire to break the boundaries of technology and create an immersive experience that people won\u0026rsquo;t forget.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat motivated you to study Spanish at the School of Modern Languages, and how does that tie\u0026nbsp;into\u0026nbsp;your work at Futurus?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026ldquo;In high school, I wasn\u0026rsquo;t sure what I wanted to do in my career, but I knew I wanted to go to Georgia Tech. We have a\u0026nbsp;long\u0026nbsp;history of Tech graduates in my family.\u0026nbsp;I wanted that STEM influence in my education while\u0026nbsp;still\u0026nbsp;pursuing a liberal arts degree.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring a high school trip to Spain, my first international excursion, I fell in love with the Spanish language. After taking Spanish for years in high school, I was able to use my\u0026nbsp;skills in a real-world setting.\u0026nbsp;Afterwards, I knew I wanted to further develop those foreign language\u0026nbsp;skills in my career.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen I arrived at Georgia Tech, I learned about their \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/modlangs.gatech.edu\/degrees\/iaml\u0022\u003EInternational Affairs and Modern Languages degree (IAML)\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;which I ended up pursuing\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;choosing Spanish as my primary language.\u0026nbsp;Spanish has helped me in\u0026nbsp;my\u0026nbsp;previous roles as well as my current role at Futurus, where we have many international opportunities\u0026nbsp;such as global tradeshows and events.\u0026nbsp;I enjoy being able to give sales pitches in Spanish and communicate with\u0026nbsp;stakeholders\u0026nbsp;which allows me to share my love of technology to an entirely different audience. Without my Modern Languages degree, I would never be able to communicate effectively to those international audiences.\u0026nbsp;I\u0026rsquo;m extremely grateful for that program and still use those skills daily as I run Futurus.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat were you looking to get out of your Modern Languages degree, and how did the\u0026nbsp;program\u0026nbsp;propel you in your career?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026ldquo;I knew I wanted to pursue the IAML degree, but I didn\u0026rsquo;t know how deep I was going to get into the Spanish language, spending more credits\u0026nbsp;on Spanish courses than International Affair curriculum. The program was fantastic! I remember many of my\u0026nbsp;professors; Dr David Shook and Dr. Vicki Galloway come to mind. Through that experience, I came to understand why language is vitally important in business and how it can\u0026nbsp;open\u0026nbsp;doors for you.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring my participation in the LBAT program, I feel like there was a turning point from taking classes to being completely immersed in the language.\u0026nbsp;Throughout my six weeks in Mexico and four weeks in Spain, I\u0026nbsp;was able to apply those foreign-language skills to practical use. I would highly encourage students to explore the LBAT program\u0026nbsp;so that they can experience being completely immersed in the language.\u0026nbsp;You\u0026rsquo;re surrounded by the culture \u0026ndash; staying with host families and\u0026nbsp;speaking Spanish continuously. It was a positive and powerful experience in independence for me in my college career.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERecently, Futurus was named a recipient of the Metro Atlanta Chamber\u0026rsquo;s Exports Grant,\u0026nbsp;giving money to companies in and around the Atlanta area giving them the opportunity to expand and explore their international business. Without the\u0026nbsp;Modern Languages\u0026nbsp;program and my experiences there, I would not have found the drive\u0026nbsp;to heighten\u0026nbsp;my\u0026nbsp;Spanish\u0026nbsp;skills, making Futurus successful on that front.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe School of Modern Languages\u0026rsquo; core values are cross-cultural communications and global competencies. Can you speak to how you use those in\u0026nbsp;leadership roles?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026ldquo;Learning a foreign language significantly impacts how you use your own native language. Studying Spanish\u0026nbsp;strengthened the way I think about English\u0026nbsp;and translating language in a cross-cultural presentation\u0026nbsp;setting.\u0026nbsp;Those\u0026nbsp;learned\u0026nbsp;cross-cultural\u0026nbsp;communications\u0026nbsp;skills allow me to teach others about our\u0026nbsp;emerging\u0026nbsp;technology and share\u0026nbsp;knowledge on a global scale.\u0026nbsp;As a leader, knowing how to communicate effectively in multiple\u0026nbsp;languages\u0026nbsp;has also made me a better listener\u0026nbsp;in my experiences with my employees and members of the community,\u0026nbsp;bridging\u0026nbsp;the gap in potential language barriers.\u0026nbsp;I consider those leadership skills as important as learning the language itself.\u0026nbsp;A strong basis in critical thinking and communications has helped me bring my company to what it is today.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAre there any new initiatives at Futurus you want us to know about?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026ldquo;Futurus recently did a project called \u0026ldquo;Call the Play,\u0026rdquo; a partnership with United Way\u0026nbsp;of Greater Atlanta, which was displayed on a large scale at the\u0026nbsp;Super Bowl LIII\u0026nbsp;hosted in Atlanta\u0026nbsp;(Mercedes Benz stadium).\u0026nbsp;Our goal was to drive a positive message\u0026nbsp;focused on anti-bullying\u0026nbsp;to guests while participating in this virtual reality\u0026nbsp;experience.\u0026nbsp;By adapting their program \u0026lsquo;Character Playbook,\u0026rsquo; we highlighted\u0026nbsp;the importance of communication skills, social and emotional learning, and conflict resolution for\u0026nbsp;our young audience, primarily in the\u0026nbsp;middle schooler age range.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat advice would you give to Georgia Tech students?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026ldquo;If there are any students potentially looking to study a foreign language at Georgia Tech, I would tell them to go for it!\u0026nbsp;I could not say more positive things about the School. I feel like as a student you\u0026nbsp;must\u0026nbsp;look at the full picture.\u0026nbsp;Don\u0026rsquo;t just consider the languages you\u0026rsquo;re learning; consider the world that you\u0026rsquo;re opening yourself up to. Opportunities will present themselves when you have foreign language experience. See beyond what\u0026rsquo;s on the surface and take advantage of all of them opportunities you have as a student.\u0026nbsp;In my experience I didn\u0026rsquo;t just learn Spanish. I learned leadership skills, communication skills, and cross-cultural skills that I use every single day in my role as CEO.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Alumna Annie Eaton examines her experience at Georgia Tech and gives students advice on taking foreign language courses."}],"uid":"34815","created_gmt":"2020-09-10 16:47:47","changed_gmt":"2020-09-10 17:38:42","author":"esnelling3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-09-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-09-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1284","name":"School of Modern Languages"},{"id":"612000","name":"Atlanta Global Studies Center (AGSC)"},{"id":"611608","name":"Global Media and Cultures (GMC)"},{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEmily Snelling\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nMarketing and Events Coordinator\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:esnelling3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eesnelling3@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["esnelling3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}