The Professional Achievement Award recognizes those alumni who exemplify the mission of Saint Louis University in their daily lives. They have achieved outstanding success in their professional fields, bringing credit to the University and benefit to their communities. This award honors alumni who graduated from 2001 to 2011.
2023 Honoree
Jaime Ortiz ('09 M.A.)
Jaime Ortiz developed an interest in language and culture early in his studies, which led to his completing a degree in English Philology at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, along with studies in translation. A fellow student told him about an opportunity for a scholarship to join an M.A. in English, a dual-degree program offered by UAM and Saint Louis University, and he found a perfect match for his passion for English and literature.
With 25 years of work experience, Jaime has often worked two jobs (teaching English, in sales or translating) to fund his studies. He's always enjoyed working in customer service — he has worked in retail at big companies such as Apple or El Corte Inglés — which made the perfect environment to learn and develop interpersonal skills, and to get to know and help people from different countries. Although pay was low, he loved working as an English-language interpreter for international customers in the most touristic area of Madrid.
After completing his master's degree at SLU, and while considering a career as a professional translator, he heard of a position opening at SLU-Madrid as an academic advisor. This presented him with the opportunity to work in higher education at his alma mater, helping students from dozens of nationalities achieve their academic goals in a vibrant community that has become a family. Jaime has served SLU students for half of his professional life as an advisor, and he currently is the director of academic advising at the Madrid campus. He still cherishes every chance to guide students through their studies while learning from them, a greater part of what makes the SLU community so enriching and special for him, along with wonderful colleagues.