Minor Degrees – Major Impact

Alumna Katie Ettl uses the skills she honed from her four college minors to tell the unique and authentic stories of the unhoused veteran populations in Oakland and San Francisco.

When Katie Ettl (Political Science, ’19) heads to work at Swords to Plowshares in San Francisco each morning, she knows that the day will bring something different.

As the communications and public relations coordinator at the nonprofit, a 50-year-old organization supporting veterans “every step of the way,” from health and housing to employment and legal issues, Ettl works with a diverse population of unhoused, low-income and at-risk veterans, sharing their stories in an authentic manner—skills her four college minors helped her hone.

“I currently work with a veteran population that is predominantly unhoused, most over the age of 55, and many of them carry different mental and intellectual capacities,” she said. “My minors really helped prepare me to engage with all kinds of veterans, meet them where they’re at, and understand the interlocked social issues that cause their homelessness with a critical lens.”

She expanded on her Cal Poly political science degree with four minors: women’s and gender studies; ethnic studies; queer studies; and media arts, society and technology. A quadruple threat, Ettl is among many alumni who have strategically added minors to complement or enhance their skill sets.

“In my role, I write a lot of content, and that work relies on connecting with the veterans that we serve,” Ettl said. “Throughout these three years working at Swords to Plowshares, I’ve been able use my ethnic studies, women’s and gender studies, and political science knowledge to connect with and write about folks in a way that is intentional, authentic to who they are, and doesn’t take advantage of their experiences.” When applying to Cal Poly in fall 2014, Ettl knew she wanted to study theories of power in organizations and society. Her impressive minors, however, were not part of the plan. “Coming to Cal Poly as a low-income student, my first year was really just figuring it out as I go,” she said. “I did not have a ready-made path, and I was a bit intimidated by my peers who already had career goals.”

Katie Ettl (back row, second from left)
with the cast of Original Womxn's Narratives.

After taking a few classes within her major, Ettl felt that some of the curriculum focused on areas she wasn’t as interested in. “I wanted to study the more theoretical stuff, and at the same time, I was getting involved with some of the feminist clubs on campus,” Ettl said. “There, everyone was talking about being a minor in women’s and gender studies.”

Those conversations sparked her interest, and she quickly embarked on her first minor in women’s and gender studies to learn more about theoretical power structures. Soon after, she added an ethnic studies minor.

“Once I started taking the classes, I realized my minors and major just made complete sense together,” she said, noting how ethnic studies and women’s and gender studies were essential in tailoring classes to her interests.

The minors in media arts, society and technology and queer studies followed naturally in support of her goal to learn more about how political science relates to political agency and identity.

“I feel like my minors were these lenses that I was able to add on to my proverbial camera,” Ettl said. “It was just so helpful to have an institutional and academic curriculum back the feelings and the experiences I was going through.”

While adding a minor might seem par for the course for many students, Women’s, Gender and Queer Studies Department Chair Elizabeth Adan says strategic minoring can help students inform their major studies while enhancing their professional profile and opening themselves up to a multitude of career opportunities.

Katie Ettl (second from left) posing with staff from 6th on 7th Photography
Workshop, guiding veterans on a photography tour as a creative outlet.

“I think Katie is a great example of successful strategic minoring because she used her four different minors as opportunities to pursue her many different, but very much overlapping, interests,” Adan said. “She also developed impressive knowledge and skills that allow her to pursue many different careers, including advocacy, government or nonprofit work, as well as media and cultural production among many other possibilities, all informed by her commitments to social justice.” Though minoring strategically was not Ettl’s intention at first, she credits the College of Liberal Arts for providing the opportunity and flexibility to pursue her passions.

“I had a personal investment in each of my minors, and they made me enjoy my major more,” Ettl said. The close-knit departments and relationships she formed with professors helped cement that personal stake.

“The community and professors in the Women’s, Gender and Queer Studies Department, the Ethnic Studies Department and the science, technology and society minors program were almost overwhelmingly supportive,” Ettl said. “I want to reiterate my support and gratitude for them because I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”

And no matter what the future may hold, Ettl says her time at Cal Poly will have a lasting impact.

“Who knows if I’ll stay in the nonprofit world forever? However, I’m fortunate to confidently say my education prepared me to look at all opportunities that come my way critically, and I have the skills to decide if they align with my values,” Ettl said. “The College of Liberal Arts provided me with a holistic education, and I will always apply the lenses that I learned to all aspects of my life and not just my career.”