The new Kansas State University English graduate students come from all over the world — all parts of Kansas, too. Please join us in welcoming them and wishing them a happy and productive first semester.
Name: Mary Adeyemo Hometown: Osun State, Nigeria Alma mater: University of Ibadan, Nigeria Areas of study: Composition and rhetoric, multimodal discourse, pragmatics, discourse analysis Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: I can make jokes with a straight face. If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why? I like Catherine Coulter’s ‘Sherlock’ Character for her boldness and smartness. What was your best source of joy this summer? Jesus is my constant, unending source of joy, peace, and fulfillment!
Name: Miracle Okpala. It’s fine if you prefer to call me Mira. Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria Alma mater: University of Lagos, Nigeria Area of study: Creative writing Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: I love to play football and to sprint. I can have a full-blown conversation with myself. I also love to swim even though I am no expert. If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why? I really would not want to transform into a literary character— the majority of my reads have been tragic. What was your best source of joy this summer? I made it a duty to have beautiful moments with my family because I will not see them for some time, given my graduate studies program and its intensity.
Name: Amber McAfee Hometown: Bettendorf, Iowa Alma mater: Wichita State University Area of study: Creative writing Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: I once worked for a comic book artist. It was brief, but I learned a lot about how to work with different and difficult people, especially those who ruin expensive paper by writing on the top sheet with a Sharpie, not realizing that it is a linen paper and that all sheets will absorb the ink like a sponge. If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why? Alanna from Alanna: the First Adventure by Tamora Pierce. Alanna was the first character that made me think anything was possible no matter what life put in your way. What was your best source of joy this summer? Getting to go to Omega Mart in Las Vegas with my daughter. We had an amazing time together.
Name: Jeffery A. Jones Hometown: Los Angeles Alma mater: Oregon State University Area of study: Creative writing Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: I’m an amateur photographer, specializing in sunset photos, and my husband and I are cat daddies to two gorgeous Bengal cats. If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why? At the risk of sounding cliché and cringe-worthy, my guilty pleasure in the literary world is Harry Potter, not because of the magical world created by J.K. Rowling, but because of the similarities between the main character and myself. We both were parentless and raised in a household that didn’t want us. For the same reason, I also relate to the character Lewis Barnivelt in the House with the Clock in Its Walls book series by John Bellairs. What was your best source of joy this summer? Attending my graduation ceremony from Oregon State University and subsequently being accepted to graduate school. To my knowledge, nobody in my entire family history has ever earned a master’s degree.
Name: FaezehRostami Hometown: Mashhad, Iran Alma mater: Ferdowsi University of Mashhad Area of study: Cultural Studies If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why? Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones or Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. They are fearless, intelligent, and determined women. What was your best source of joy this summer? The possibility of studying and living in the United States really thrilled me. I met very nice people here, and they brought me joy. Also, I made great friends.
Name: Watson Lee Hometown: Huntsville, Alabama Alma Mater: Auburn University Area of study: Creative Writing Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: I am an avid outdoorsman and love to hunt. If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why? Captain Ahab. Being an obsessive and vengeful whaler would be cool until it’s time to go down with the ship. What was your best source of joy this summer? Golfing with my friends and going to the lake.
Name: Maranda Haile Hometown: Manhattan Alma Mater: Kansas State University Area of Study: Creative Writing (with a focus on non-fiction and poetry) Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: I love to sing! I grew up doing musical theater and choir. I had every intention of going to college for vocal performance, but I fell in love with writing, and now here I am. If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why? Ramona Flowers from the Scott Pilgrim vs the World graphic novels because she’s so cool and mysterious. Plus, her hair is fun. What was your best source of joy this summer? I was lucky enough to jet off to Europe for a month this summer and get engaged in France!
Name: Griffin Fergerson Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri Alma mater: Missouri State University Field of Study: Composition and Rhetoric Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: I love birds, and I’m always on the lookout for birds when I’m hiking or walking around anywhere. If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why? Aragorn from Lord of the Rings. His nobility and ability to do what is right no matter the circumstance is something I always enjoyed about his character. Also I’d love to sword fight and ride horses like he can. What was your best source of joy this summer? My friends and family. As I’ve gotten older, I get less and less time to spend with them so having a couple months to do nothing but spend time with them was a huge source of fun.
Name: Ali Stewart Hometown: Yardley, Pennsylvania Alma mater: Castleton University Area of study: Children’s Literature Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: I once spent a year in St. Louis, where I served as a front desk clerk for the Humane Society of Missouri. If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why? I’d become the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland because I love mischief and practical jokes! What was your best source of joy this summer? I’m a massive Star Trek geek, and I’m learning to speak Klingon!
Name: Alysha Brintnall Hometown: Bettendorf, Iowa Alma mater: Sterling College Area of study: Children’s Literature Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: I have a theater background, and love to break out in song or accents during the school day. If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why? Jo March. I don’t have sisters, I adore her parents, I enjoy history, and I am also someone who enjoys writing … and theatrics! What was your best source of joy this summer? Laughing with family and friends.
Name: Cariana Kut Alma mater: University of Iowa Areas of study: Creative Writing, Children’s Literature Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: I have worked at a daycare and as a nanny in the past. If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why? I had such a hard time choosing one character, but I’d like to transform into Anne from Anne of Green Gables. Not only is the plot of the story fascinating, but Anne is such an engaging personality-filled character, and I’d love to experience the world through her POV. What was your best source of joy this summer? I enjoyed watching a lot of sunsets.
Name: Juan Manuel Maldonado Hometown: Mammoth Lakes, California Alma mater: Kansas Wesleyan University Area of study: Creative Writing Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: I am a Dreamer in every sense of the word, and I just became a resident of this country after having been here almost my whole life. If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why?Odysseus—he had the one of the best adventures. What was your best source of joy this summer? My source of joy is always my family. I love the fact that I get to teach my boys how to navigate this world. My wife is also my biggest motivator, so having them by my side really helps me get through every day.
Name: Ciel Trojnar Hometown: Various places in southern Kansas Alma mater: Kansas State Area of study: Literature Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: My most dedicated hobby is tea. I have so many different kinds now they have their own cabinet, and I’m building a bigger collection of teaware … slowly. If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why?Probably a bit of a silly answer, but the only time I can remember wanting to be a character from a book was while reading about Soren from the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series. I think it still would be pretty cool to experience being an owl (albeit it an owl with responsibilities). What was your best source of joy this summer? Fresh seafood, seeing my parents and brother, and I was able to visit my best friend in person for the first time in almost six years!
Name: Rawdha Al-Mansoori Hometown: Abu Dhabi, UAE Alma mater: Zayed University Area of study: Creative Writing Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: I speak two languages. Arabic and English. If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why? I’d like to transform into Alice from Alice in Wonderland and go on a great adventure. What was your best source of joy this summer? My nephew!
Name: Nava Eghdami Hometown: Urmia, Iran Alma mater: Urmia University Areas of study: Literature, Creative Writing Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: I am truly hopeful and eternally optimistic (about almost everything), but I think realistically. And I’ve been writing poems and stories in three different languages since middle school (English, Persian, and Turkish). If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why?While Elizabeth Bennet was one of the first characters that came to my mind; I would like to go with someone real, one of my favorite poets—Emily Dickinson. I would never say no to the chance of being in her shoes for a day (maybe two, but not more!) because I would love to see the world from her point of view. What was your best source of joy this summer? Getting my visa and preparing to come to the United States was the best thing that happened this summer! Other than that, I got to meet my best friend’s new baby boy whom I ended up hugging every single day until the day before I had a ticket to the US.
Name: Hoora Ghanbari Adivi Alma mater: Islamic Azade University of Tehran North Branch Area of study: Cultural Studies What was your best source of joy this summer? My travel to the United states brought me joy and made me believe that happiness isn’t something rare.
Name: Meredith Penrod (second year) Hometown: Manhattan (With some St. Cloud, Minnesota, sprinkled in) Alma mater: St. Cloud State University Area(s) of study: Cultural Studies Please tell us something interesting/unique about you: My dad’s side of my family dates back to the Manhattan area before the Civil War. Because of my familial connections, I chose K State to complete my degree program and moved to Manhattan from Minnesota, but I do miss Minnesota’s fall and early winter. If you could transform briefly into a literary character, who would you want to become and why? Frannie Goldsmith from Stephen King’s The Stand. She isn’t a physically strong female hero. She’s an empathetic heroine, not just “the woman” in the cast. She makes decisions for the community in Boulder and cares for others. What was your best source of joy this summer? Returning to Minnesota for the month of July. I didn’t have to cram in things in a week. I got to go to Ironton/Crosby in “The North Country,” as Bob Dylan says, shop in Minnetonka, and walk across the Headwaters of the Mississippi River in Lake Itasca.
K-State English 