What did you do after graduation?
I did a communications internship at Lakeside Chautauqua in Lakeside, Ohio before moving to New York City to work as a reporter for Blank Slate Media, a group of weekly community newspapers in the Long Island suburbs.
What are you up to now?
I recently accepted a position as a New York City reporter for Patch, a nationwide publisher of hyperlocal news sites. I’ll be writing stories on a broad variety of subjects for a citywide audience to help strengthen Patch’s New York coverage.
How has being an English minor helped you in your career, or just in life in general?
Studying English literature taught me to parse language for layers of meaning, which has been invaluable to me as a journalist. Many people, especially public officials, say what they really mean between the lines of their statements. I don’t think I could find that meaning as easily if I hadn’t taken the English courses I did. Studying literature has also illuminated for me the literary power of politics, which I think makes my reporting more colorful.
Any particularly important classes, professors, experiences or other aspects of your undergraduate life in Sturges you’d like to call out?
Studying with Dr. Ryan in my junior year sparked my passion for literature and pushed me to declare my last-minute minor. The lessons from her courses — Black Women Writers and Narratives of Slavery — are still present in my mind today.
Any advice for new or prospective English majors/minors?
Take advantage of the diversity of the English department’s course offerings! There were so many cool courses I wish I could have taken that I wasn’t able to. I also think it’s valuable to do a little planning and take courses in other departments that relate to whatever English classes you’re taking that semester. When I did that it really showed the advantages of OWU’s liberal arts flexibility.