Steven Tolson (MA '10) In 2022, I was invited to speak on an alumni panel to current K-State English students and faculty. What follows is an adapted version of that discussion. How did I end up in Kansas? My partner and I applied to Master's programs all over the country, and K-State gave us the … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Steven Tolson
Screenshot of the Comp/Rhet virtual reunion (21 April 2023) One of the benefits of not having a Ph.D. program is we’re able to focus on our M.A. students, getting to know them well as scholars and as people. The downside, of course, is that after two years, they move on to other opportunities. Many of … Continue reading Comp/Rhet Virtual Reunion
Mel Hammond (MA '14) In August 2012, I drove through the golden-yellow Flint Hills for the first time. I’d applied to K-State’s Children’s Lit program because I wasn’t sure what else to do after college. I liked kid’s books and I liked school, and the thought of getting a job gave me existential dread. It … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Mel Hammond
Lamees Al Ethari (MA '08) “The best two years of my life” seemed a bit of an over-exaggerated description, especially to the professor who was conducting my exit interview during my final days at K-State. I think that’s why he replied, something along the lines of, “I mean, I have heard good things, but the … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Lamees Al Ethari
Elizabeth (Symm) Schroll (MA '13) When people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them that I play with words. My official title at the human-scale publishing company where I work is copy editor, but I’ve had authors refer to me as a fairy godmother, a wizard, a savant. The thing is, … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Elizabeth Schroll
Dustin Vann (BA '16, MA '20) I approached my latest job search with more calm and practicality than even I thought I could muster. Unlike previous searches, where the stakes were higher to find a job due to the end of a lease or a global pandemic, this time around, I wanted to have more … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Dustin Vann
Anita Mihelic (MA '07, right) with Edgar Mihelic (MA '21, left), December 2021 in the English Department Main Office. If you would have told me in 2005 that 15+ years later I would be working at a construction data and software company, I probably would have backed away slowly and found the nearest exit. And … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Anita Mihelic
Jill Clingan (MA '03) “Stories matter. Teaching Language Arts is important because we make sense of our world through story—both by reading the stories of others and narrating our own.” I said these words to a group of enthusiastic teachers in Brazil in 2018 where I was helping lead an educational conference with my Mizzou … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Jill Clingan
Maggie Borders (MA '12, front row, second from the right) appears with K-State participants for the MKN McNair Heartland Research Conference (September 24-26, 2021, Kansas City, MO). Also included in the photo: Cheryl Rauh (MA '11) and English majors Bailey Britton (BA '22) and Thai Lopez (BA '22). "Better done than perfect." I don’t remember … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Maggie Borders
Our panelists for the 2016 Alumni Connections career panel, left to right: Kent Glasscock (BA '76), Lisa Sisley (BA '92), Melia Fritch (MA '04), Ashley Brown (BA '09, MA '12), and Cheryl Rauh (MA '11) Since 2005, the English Department has hosted an alumni career panel to connect our current students with the expertise and … Continue reading Alumni Connections, 2016 and 2021
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