Since declaring the English major in Fall 2014, I’ve had the opportunity to receive instruction from internationally renowned scholars; earn a leadership position with Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society; intern with a book publisher, a magazine, and a Fortune 50 company; and hone my writing enough to get twice published. One of my most engaging classes thus far has definitely been Advanced Studies in Multi-Cultural Literature, with Professor Cajetan Iheka, which focused on Black writers of the African Diaspora in Africa and the Caribbean. That same semester, I took a class on Victorian Literature with Professor Steve Tedeschi, and it was fascinating to simultaneously read about the experiences of colonizers and the colonized.

Perhaps the best thing about an English major is that the career paths you can take are so varied. Coupling the broad skillset you earn in the English Department (analytical reasoning, editing, communication) with work experience and/or campus activities is definitely the key to a bright future. My peers have expressed interest in pursuing a wide variety of careers as professors, attorneys, high school teachers, journalists, and editors. A degree in English does not prepare you to do one specific job. Instead, it provides you with a chance to take life by the reins and forge a path to almost any career you are passionate about.