Profile: Emi Bague
Emi Bague is the Assistant Director for International Student Career Services in the Career Development Center (ECDC). She primarily serves Emerson’s international student and alumni populations, educating and supporting them in their professional development, workplace intercultural awareness, and career readiness.
Emi works with students and alumni in person and virtually across the country and the globe through individual appointments; workshops; and cross-campus and international collaborative programming with Alumni Engagement, the Office of International Student Affairs, and Emerson Los Angeles, among others.
Before the pandemic, Emi focused on supporting international students with their career development and planning needs in the US. But when students started studying remotely, they sought career support while in their home countries. This gave the ECDC the opportunity to also explore employer relationship development in other countries.
The necessity of virtual programming due to the pandemic has allowed Emi and the ECDC’s key campus partners to co-host global events. She has moderated panel discussions that welcomed alumni living in England, Germany, Mexico, Tanzania, Hong Kong, China, and South Korea. Discussion topics ranged from establishing alumni chapters in Asia to experiences of international alumni after graduation.
Next February, Emi will celebrate her fourth anniversary at Emerson. She was originally hired as an Administrative Assistant at the ECDC. Soon afterward, her role morphed into that of Internship Administrator. When the international student career services position opened in 2019, Emi enthusiastically applied for it.
Supporting internationals in the Boston area is in her genes. “Growing up as a first-generation Filipinx American just south of Boston included countless trips to Logan Airport—often for our own departing flights, but also to welcome others just arriving to the US. My family hosted a range of internationals, from relatives from the Philippines, to European dance teachers, to my international college friends, to international leaders,” she said.
Prior to Emerson, Emi worked on other campuses in the Boston area as well as in Eastern Europe: Poznań, Poland to be exact. She has held positions in Admission, Student Activities, International Campus Ministries, and Student Affairs at both undergrad and grad school levels. She has also done remote graphic design work.
Emi graduated from Boston University with a major in psychology and a minor in African American studies. She is currently enrolled in Emerson’s graduate program in Publishing and Writing. She has two “big kids.” One is an undergrad Creative Writing major at Emerson (see the Emerson Today article “Mom, Have You Done Your Homework Yet?”), and one is in high school.
Together with her partner, Emi and her kids go on road trips to visit family and friends in Maine, New York, and New Jersey. While they are pausing any global adventures while the world heals, Emi said that they spend time together watching movies and bingeing on series, such as Kim’s Convenience, Squid Game, and Fullmetal Alchemist. After work and school, they also enjoy philosophical discussions; furry family photo sessions with their two hamsters, two cats, and a dog; good takeout; and celebrating the little things.
Nancy Howell (Communications and Marketing)