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Washington and Lee University

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After Graduation

English Department Alumni Discuss Their Careers

  • Susanna Craib-Cox '96
    Marketing Manager for STR Partners
    "There's so little time to make a good impression on people, and a badly-written or overlong piece won't advance your cause."
  • Jeanne Dillon '96
    Educational Theater Consultant
    "I would not have been as successful as I have been in any of these jobs if it had not been for the strong writing, editing, and critical thinking skills I gained as an English major at Washington and Lee."
  • Jason Shaffer '97
    Associate Professor of English, United States Naval Academy
    "The example provided by the dedicated and caring faculty in the English Department inspired me and gave me a model of professional service toward which I could aspire."
  • Rebecca Makkai '99
    Author
    "There are many ways to be a writer, but there's no substitute, I believe, for deep study of the best literature available, the best stuff produced in hundreds of years of human effort."
  • Jenn Backe '04
    Production Supervisor at Random House
    "After majoring in English at Washington and Lee University and participating as a work/study intern at Shenandoah throughout college, I was inspired to pursue a publishing career."
  • Meg Franklin '04
    Visual Artist
    "[T]hanks to my studies in English and creative writing at Washington and Lee, I am able to speak articulately and forcefully about my work in a way that actually enhances my paintings."
  • Emily Patterson '05
    8th Grade English Teacher, John Adams Middle School, Charleston, WV
    "When I finished my English degree, I couldn't wait for more."
  • Mike Rennard '07
    7th Grade Literature Teacher
    "I've found a richly fulfilling career simply by pursuing what I love, and I attribute a great deal of my success to the professors in the W&L English department who helped to teach me how to think."
  • Audrey Horn '08
    Senior Associate at Avalere Health
    "Clients and colleagues ask me to distill complex issues and policies down to the most salient points, and communicate my findings and analysis in a clear and concise way."
  • Liz Williams Payne '08
    Assistant Manager, lululemon athletica
    "Being an English major prepared me for my career by teaching me valuable analytical skills that I need to accurately assess the needs of my business and my people."
  • Brianna Gapsis '09
    Medical Student, University of Central Florida
    "I’m now in my fourth year of medical school, and I continue to write as I am learning to heal."
  • Regina Mills '09
    Ph.D. Student, University of Texas at Austin
    "The knowledge I gained as an English major at W&L led to more confidence in teaching my content area... and successful entrance into a Top 20 graduate program in English."
  • Eric Reitz '09
    Musician
    "[M]y English degree has equipped me with the skills needed to compose my own official biography, various press releases, and all other public relations documents I need to move forward."
  • Lucy Hundley '10
    Web Writer & Social Media Manager, Ciniva Web Agency
    "He told me he knew I could learn web skills, but writing and communication strengths had to be developed and cultivated for years."
  • Adam Lewis '10
    Associate at Rabin Martin
    "Despite certain perceptions of the English major's practicality in the American workforce, it has contributed more to my overall on-the-job abilities than any other experience—by far."
  • Sisi Xiaoxi Liang '10
    Graduate Student in Quantitative Finance, Rutgers University
    "[E]very single job I've had since graduation (jobs in both finance and legal sectors) was because I was an English major"
  • Michael Morella '10
    Associate Editor at U.S. News & World Report
    "I regularly engage with a wide range of scholars, specialists, and colleagues, made all the easier by the small-class discussions and one-on-one conversations that were everyday occurrences in Payne Hall."
  • Eric Veres '10
    Law Student, University of Pennsylvania | Summer Associate, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Washington D.C., 2012
    "Success depended not on my views, but on the effectiveness of my oral and written expression of those views."
  • Jenna Worsham '10
    New York City Theater Director
    "I think my major's rigorous focus on modern poetry in particular helped prepare me for a focus on modern theatrics"