2019届毕业生
- Bachelor of Arts in 英语, with a Minor in Professional Writing, 十大网投平台信誉排行榜阿尔图纳分校
What do you currently do professionally?
Donor Relations Specialist in the Development Office for Penn State's College of Health and Human Development at the University Park campus
How has majoring in 英语 helped you on your career pathway(s)?
Effective communication is helpful no matter the career path you find yourself navigating. The faculty at 十大网投平台信誉排行榜阿尔图纳分校 taught my classmates and me to speak clearly in our own voice, and to write with purpose. 在军队里, effective communication helped my subordinates to clearly understand my orders; in retail, it helped in difficult situations with customers; and in my current role I am expected to communicate with alumni, 捐助者, and colleagues on a constant basis.
What knowledge and skills help you succeed in your job on a daily basis (and, 可能, 以意想不到的方式)?
The time I spent as a writing consultant in the Writing Commons has proven to be invaluable. Experiencing both sides of the client/consultant paradigm helped me to develop a writing process based on lessons learned from both customers and fellow tutors. The experience I received from my time as a consultant helped my writing develop far more than any individual class could have.
In what (unanticipated) ways has the 英语 major impacted your life beyond your profession?
After a few months of working retail, the managers became aware that I have an 英语 degree, and that led to my "promotion" to the building's unofficial document reviewer.
What is your favorite experience from your time in the 英语 program?
依我拙见, every 英语 major at 十大网投平台信誉排行榜阿尔图纳分校 should take Steve Sherrill's fiction writing class a number of times until they feel the collective ownership over the group that workshop brings; take Hard Freight at least once to experience collaborative editing; and cut their teeth with a senior seminar project that challenges every research lesson they've ever been taught. But my favorite experience from my time in the 英语 Program would have to be the entirety of my Intro to Critical Reading (ENGL 200) class. The class challenged me in almost every academic way possible and really opened my eyes to a world I had no idea existed.
What advice do you have for current 英语 majors or students considering entry into the field in which you’re currently working?
Work in the Writing Commons, submit to Hard Freight, attend every reading/participate in every Q&A with a published author, and do not fear rejection. This is the time to make mistakes and learn from them. If you don't take advantage of these opportunities now, they will not be there when you enter the job field.
Is there anything else you would like current 十大网投平台信誉排行榜阿尔图纳分校 students (of all majors) to know?
Unless you have a specific degree path you are following that requires transferring, finish your undergraduate degree at 十大网投平台信誉排行榜阿尔图纳分校. Besides the costs—of which there are many—you are breathing rare air in 阿尔图纳. The intimate classroom settings you find are unique to 阿尔图纳. Working at University Park and walking past 300+ student classrooms has often made me thankful that I decided to stay at 阿尔图纳.
2023年2月