Where Are They Now?

Jayme Blandford (Jayme will finish her M.A. in English at West Virginia University in May)	Nell Novara (After teaching English for two years in Poland, Nell started an M.A. program in fall at the University of Vermont)	Heather Belmonte
Kendra Sigafoos	Jolene Fisher	Lori Autenreib

The newest English alumni: Emily Anderson, Bethany Hinkle, Kat Porter, Libby Mowers, Ben Simon, and Stephanie Coartney. Congratulations and good luck to you all!

On October 17, 2009, five English major alumni came back to campus to share their McKendree experiences, as well as give current students advice and resources helpful to entering the job market.

Alumni from L to R: Heather Belmonte, Kendra Sigafoos, Elizabeth Hise, Jodie Bell Siepp, Afton Spriggs.

 

Please give us your feedback!

ENGLISH ALUMNI SURVEY

You can either email them back to bboudreau@mckendree.edu or send them to McKendree at McKendree University, C/O Brenda Boudreau, 701 College Rd., Lebanon, IL 62254

Jayme Blandford
Graduate Student, West Virginia University

I'm very thankful for my experience with the McKendree University English department. I had great mentors within the department and I always knew they were available to help further my career in English. My English professors went above and beyond their duties to help me apply to graduate school, submit papers for conference presentations, and to look for opportunities to research my areas of interest. Because of the English department, I am currently in my 2nd year of a Master's program at West Virginia University and I hold a position as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. My experiences at McKendree gave me a background in English Pedagogy, Gender Studies, Theory & Criticism, and Literature which has helped me as a Graduate Student.

Jolene Fisher 

I can not talk about the quality of the English program at McKendree University without focusing on the English department faculty, for they are the ones who pushed me to develop the research and writing skills that were, by senior year, worthy of graduate level consideration. To me, the fact that I was able to refer to every professor I had in the English program as “Dr.” says a lot. The fact that I encountered each of those “Dr.’s” in a classroom of a size and atmosphere that facilitated daily group discussions and allowed for meaningful student-teacher interaction says even more. My professors were first-rate academics with the depth of knowledge and level of professionalism you’d expect at any major university, but they actually knew your name and cared how you were doing, academically and beyond. After spending a year at the National University of Singapore in the Master of Arts Literary Studies program I know I couldn’t have been better prepared for further academic or professional work than I was by McKendree.

Whitney Ruebhausen

My semesters in McKendree University’s English program were some of the most enjoyable times of my life.  Within the first weeks of starting my English major, I knew that it was the right place for me.  I spent hours in classes with professors and students who all share the same love of literature, writing, and learning.  While the classes were fun—reading classic, great books and discussing literature—they were also challenging.  My classes pushed me to be a better student, and to look at and think about literature and life in ways that I had not done before.  I feel that with the small class sizes, and the personal relationships I developed with my professors, I gained the highest quality of English education possible.  As a current high school teacher, I am fully confident in my subject matter and in teaching young adults some of the same skills and, hopefully, appreciation for literature, that my McKendree professors taught me.  I also enjoyed the English major so much that I am planning on continuing my education and gaining a Master of Arts in Literature.  I know I would not be the teacher—or the individual—I am today if not for my time at McKendree.

Lori Autenreib

My English degree through McKendree has continually proven itself to be a beneficial choice. Many people may ask you why you chose that degree because all you can do is teach with it. Although I have chosen to become a teacher, my English degree has opened numerous other career opportunities in the fields of journalism and marketing. This is largely because English is not just reading long books, it develops and sharpens essential workplace skills of organizing information for presentations, communicating effectively through speaking and writing, and reading with understanding. You will learn 80% of a job's requirements after you have accepted it; the 20% they look for in your interviews are these basic skills that you will learn as an English major.

Elizabeth Hise
Senior Communications & Marketing Coordinator, Fontbonne University

As I move further away from college, I become more and more grateful for my four years at McKendree. The campus environment, strong English department, and journalism experience I gained editing The McKendree Review prepared me for work in the field of communication — multitasking, writing, editing, and juggling life and job are all tasks I deal with on a daily basis. I credit my McKendree degree and professors with helping me succeed.