Living in Austria, let alone owning a business, was not something that Alison Goolsby ’93 anticipated when she attended Southwestern University. Born in California and raised in Houston, Texas, she fondly remembers her family spending one year living in the Netherlands. During that time, Goolsby learned to speak Dutch. “I guess being introduced to another language and culture early in life inspired me later on,” she says.

When it came time for Goolsby to consider attending college, it was important for her to remain in Texas, but the idea of not “being just a number at one of the larger universities” was equally essential in her final decision. The moment she stepped onto Southwestern’s campus her choice had been made.

Initially, Goolsby aspired to be a music major but quickly realized that a musical career was not something she wanted. She had a heart-to-heart conversation with Professor of Music Vinson Hammond, in which he encouraged Goolsby to pursue other interests. The advice he gave her lead Goolsby to study Spanish.

Using her background in the Spanish language, Goolsby began traveling the world, teaching Spanish and English to children, teenagers and adults. “I believe that passing on knowledge to others is one of the most important things I can do with my life. When I’m able to help a student break down his inhibitions and actually start communicating in a new language, it’s clear to me why I went into teaching,” she says.

In 2004, Goolsby and her partner, Robert Wiesinger, moved to Austria (Wiesinger’s homeland) and became interested in starting their own business. They learned that the license for one of the largest and internationally recognized language schools, inlingua Vorarlberg, was available. With Goolsby’s strong background in teaching languages and Robert’s experience in business, they decided to open and manage the language school.

Being a business owner has changed Goolsby’s life. She realizes that the work can be very demanding. “I truly enjoy my job and the international working environment of our school,” she says. The values that were instilled by Goolsby’s parents when she was growing up were further shaped by the experiences she had at Southwestern. “It has always been important to me to demonstrate fairness in my relationships with others. I won’t go so far as to say I have always succeeded at this, but it’s something I try never to forget when dealing with both our customers and the teachers who work for us,” Goolsby says.

Goolsby and Wiesinger have successfully endured one year of business, but she admits that one can never be certain how long that success will last. “From the beginning, it has been our intention to provide our customers with high-quality service and hopefully those standards will keep us alive in this business,” she says.

Goolsby’s advice to current students is to recognize that there will always be people around who do their best to discourage you. “Don’t listen to them. Get on with the business of pursuing your dreams!” she says.