I began my love affair with the K-State English Department in during the fall 2005 semester as an undergraduate freshman student. I came to K-State without knowing what I wanted to major in but knowing that I had always loved my English classes. This love only grew, and, during my sophomore year, I decided to pursue my bachelor’s degree in English literature.
After graduating in 2009, I moved back to Kansas City. I knew that, eventually, I wanted to work for a non-profit organization, but jobs in Kansas City non-profits are fairly limited. I knew that the skills and knowledge I gained from my undergraduate degree in English were highly transferable to so many careers, but I didn’t quite know how to get a foot in the door.
After taking some time off to travel and work at my aunt’s bakery in Bogotá, Colombia, I decided to apply to K-State’s Master’s program in the English Department. I can’t say that I knew exactly what I wanted to do with a Master’s degree – I just knew that I loved the Department and that furthering my education would help me find my career eventually.
This was one of the best decisions I have made. These two years were two of the toughest I have had, but also the most rewarding. I loved every single one of my classes and learned so much from working with Tanya Gonzalez and all my other brilliant professors. I am still grateful for the opportunities I had to work as a GTA, in the Writing Center, and at the Leasure Hall Tutoring Center.
I am also super grateful to Tim Dayton. After telling him that I wanted to work in non-profits, he encouraged me to take a technical writing course during my last semester. In this course, I learned how to be a clearer and more concise writer and practiced these skills on a sample grant application.
After I graduated in December 2012, I started applying to various non-profit organizations in the Kansas City area. I was super lucky and got an interview to be the Grants Program Manager at the National World War I Museum and Memorial. During the interview, I talked about my experience at K-State and what I learned in the technical writing course – I still credit that class for helping me get the job.
I worked at the Museum for 6.5 years. During this time, I was in charge of all of the Museum’s grants and gained experience with various functions within the fundraising department, including individual giving, capital campaigns, and event planning. One of the things I am most proud of from my time at the Museum is helping to establish their first young professionals membership program, The Modernists.
While I loved the Museum and enjoyed working in the arts and culture sector, I knew I wanted to transition to a social services non-profit to help people in need.
In 2019, I joined Water.org as the Senior Donor Relations Specialist. In this role, I was able to concentrate on grant writing and donor relations. It has been so rewarding to work with an amazing international team to help millions of people gain access to water and sanitation solutions in their homes. Now, I work as the Manager of Donor Engagement and Stewardship. In this role, I am still responsible for a portfolio of grants, but I also work on process improvements and manage a team within our fundraising department.
I use the skills I learned at K-State every day. I am so thankful for the experience I had in the English Department and how it prepared me to establish a successful career in the non-profit sector.
— Ashley Brown Morris (BA ’09, MA ’12)
K-State English 